Five Steps To Falling In Love
by MidnightSakuraBlossom and SYD
Summary: AU: All it took was five steps for their assumed rivalry to melt into a romance... Ash/Gary, shounen-ai. COMPLETE
1. Step One: The Realization

A/N: I've been planning this story out for a while. But I just haven't gotten around to writing it out, it's been in the back of my mind and calling me. CALLING ME! O.O After discovering that I had written the **ending** ahead of time in a document, I decided to just start writing and post the rest of the story. Hmm, but since I've writing the ending first, ah, it was kind of difficult to come up with the beginning and middle. So please excuse it if this story is too sucky.

Keep in mind that there is some language at times (few F bombs, blame Gary) shonen-ai, and me using the english character names rather than the original. Everyone may be OOC at times, but I haven't watched anything Pokemon-related in a little while so I'm rusty!

**Basically **this is the five steps it takes for Ash and Gary to realize that they don't hate each other like they think. On the contrary, they have deeper feelings than that. Five steps, five chapters.

_**Only when I stop to think**_

_**about you, I know**_

_**Only when you stop to think**_

_**About me, do you know**_

_**. . .**_

_**I hate everything about you**_

_**Why do I love you**_

_**You hate everything about me**_

_**Why do you love me**_

_**- I Hate Everything About You, by Three Days Grace.**_

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Pokemon.

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_**~Five Steps To Falling In Love~**_

_**~Step #1: The Realization~**_

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It was only the second class of the day. But for Ash Ketchum, it was as like maybe the tenth or thirtieth. He didn't know. He was just utterly bored out of his mind and tired from the lack of sleep he had gotten the previous night. He had stayed up until early in the morning hours watching a marathon of his favorite TV show and didn't go to bed until at least four in the morning.

Only three hours of sleep. _Three fucking hours. _It sure was taking it's toll on him, he could barely keep his blurring eyes open to look at the stuff he was supposed to writing down. They were burning like Hell and he wanted to gouge them out badly, his muscles were sore from trying to roll out of bed and walk to school, and he couldn't go three seconds without clasping a hand to his mouth and yawning.

School wasn't his favorite activity. But his mom would kill him if she heard him admit that, so he didn't try to press his luck and complain.

Ash's hand finally gave in, and it fell flat onto his desk. His chin that he had been propping up fell and he just silently leaned forward onto the desk. Luckily, to his knowledge, the teacher was too into the lesson to catch him about to close his eyes just for a few minutes at least.

Or well, Ash tried to close his eyes. But that's when a piece of notebook paper was shifted over into his face. He sighed before sitting back up and quickly scooping up the note and to under the desk. He didn't want to get caught with a note again, and so he learned this time to read it inconspicuously like this.

_Ketchum,_

_Pull yourself together and suck it up. You look like a zombie, and frankly, it's getting on my nerves._

_P.S. I need to talk to you after this class...just meet me at my locker._

_-Gary_

Ash reread the note a second time, rubbing his eyes to try and make it out clearer. Yes there was no mistake; this slightly-messy handwriting belonged to his rival...one of the coolest and much admired guys in the entire school, Gary. He turned around to look at him, as he sat right next to him on the left.

Pfft, he was overrated. Maybe he was talented with a lot of things, and smart. But he was also cocky and didn't really appreciate things. He and Ash have always been rivals since they were little kids, and they're sixteen-and-a-half now. It's been six years...

Very deep down somewhere, Ash kind of admired him and wanted to be as cool as him someday. But he refused to accept this, he didn't want to show it at all. So he's been openly trying to find many flaws behind him and realize what a big jerk he could be. This guy right here doesn't keep any close friends because he dubs them a 'waste of time', he has several fangirls and either pushes them away rudely, ignores them, or plays with their hearts. And don't get him started about the way he acts like Ash is the most inferior person on the face of this Earth! These things were true at least. And that was what kept him burning with frustration for him.

What was so great about Gary? Why did pretty much the entire school, and maybe including himself, think he was so amazing? Yes it's true that he's talented. And he's...he is kind of hot with that spiky-yet-flat orange hair that covered over his forehead and gave him a tough look, and his piercing eyes filled with pride, and that _body_. Especially when he wore those tight jeans like he's currently wearing, they cling to his ass so nicely and...

Whoa. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. big _NO_. Ash did not just think that. He was not just taking notice to his rival's charm and sexy looks. This wasn't good at all.

Ash caught himself, and he could feel his eyes widen. He took the note and crumbled it up, tossing it to the floor as his face began to boil.

Did anybody notice him staring off into space at his rival? Did they see him smile like an idiot? Maybe...maybe they didn't. Ash's other classmates were staring at the teacher, whom was crossing his arms in obvious annoyance and making his way over to his desk. Oh crap.

"Ash, are you paying attention?" The teacher asked suspiciously, pushing up his glasses with a finger and his eyes burning holes into him. All eyes of the other students, including Gary of course, were now shifted over to the two in confusion.

And Ash sighed inwardly. He wasn't exactly on good terms with his History teacher. He's never been, because he's just not interested in history much, and has held a record of not paying attention in his class.

"I...I was paying attention." Ash's cheeks flushed a further red as his eyes had shifted over to Gary briefly, before he had tore them away and back to his annoyed teacher. "Just on the _wrong thing_. It won't happen again!"

His middle-aged, stern and serious teacher gave him a doubtful look. Before he nodded reluctantly. "It better not, I don't want you to fail this year and then gave to be dragged into my classroom for summer school. The last thing I'll ever want is to put up with _only_ you for a whole summer. Pay attention." He strolled back over to the large chalkboard that had the lesson written on it, and he picked up from where he had left off.

Ash just wasn't paying attention. His mind was in a state of absolute chaos. So many emotions were taking over, and he didn't like it all. At least the other students had finally taken their eyes off of him and were either writing or actually paying attention to their teacher.

Gary, however, was still looking at Ash. He and the confused boy made eye contact and held it for approximately eleven seconds. After this, he just flashed him a cocky smirk that he gave everyone when he was either in the know of some secret that no one else wanted him to find out about, or was just trying to be charming.

It must have been the second one. And dammit, it was working. Ash usually didn't do this when he saw his usual little smirks, but he suddenly felt the tips of his ears burn, his heart pound against his ribs, and his feet to feel pretty lightweight.

"Maybe I'm just coming down with something." Ash murmured under his breath as he rested his chin on his palm once again. His eyes traveled up to the board and her tried to keep them locked there. But his mind was everywhere but the history lesson.

Meanwhile, Gary glanced at Ash and rose a brow. He was acting a little odd, he seemed flustered after he had smirked at him. Why the hell would he be flustered of all things? Or was he just jumping to conclusions?

Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. Of course, that was it. Gary shook his head and looked back at the board, but he could feel his cheeks begin to warm very rapidly, as he realized all of a sudden how _cute_ Ash had looked for a change.

...Wait...Ash looked 'cute'? What was he thinking?

_**~End of chapter~**_

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Well, that chapter was pretty damn short. So very painfully short that it's severely getting under my skin. T.T

But there was a reason for this. It was the beginning after all; to kick the story off, so to speak. Things are just beginning for Ash and Gary, they both have realized there might be something more to their 'hatred' of each other. More characters will appear in the next chapter, and so will more awkwardness.

In your review, could you please let me know what you think of my portrayal of Ash and Gary's relationship? I need to know because...*Cough* I may write more stories with them together in the future *Cough* :)

I'll try to update soon. Maybe...maybe hopefully by the end of the week?

Read and review!


	2. Step Two: Denial

A/N: Well, we've moved on from the realization to the next step. What is this next step of falling in love? ...**D-E-N-I-A-L!** Yes, now comes the very annoying denial that you always see. "Of COURSE Ash and Gary couldn't be falling in love with each other, because that would make them gay..." That kind of stuff! But we know that's not true! Those yaoi fans know the truth! And I'm not saying I am one of them, I just have recently realized how adorable this pairing can be! And...and..and...

*Composes self* Sorry. I've been drinking lots of coffee to keep me up to write this chapter. -.-' I guess I won't be sleeping tonight at all... *Headdesk*

_**And I want to sit here all my life alone**_

_**This may sound a little rough, don't wanna fall in love**_

_**. . .**_

_**This may sound a little rough, don't wanna fall in love**_

_**This mat sound a little rough, don't wanna fall in love**_

_**This may sound a little fucked, don't wanna fall in love**_

_**- Don't Wanna Fall In Love, by Greenday.**_

Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokemon. And...given the circumstances, I wouldn't try to take rights to it because I don't wanna risk getting sued for everything to my name. 

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_**~Five Steps To Falling In Love~**_

_**~ Step #2: Denial ~**_

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The bell suddenly rung, signaling that class was finally over. Ash was relieved beyond anyone's imagination, because this lesson seemed to drag on longer than usual.

It wasn't just because he was always so bored with history, and didn't see the need in learning about _past_ events, no, ever since he had realized that he found his childhood/current rival to be kinda sexy...well, he's just been a little disturbed ever since. This was just crazy, and so sudden. He couldn't possibly think of him this way, there was two reasons why he couldn't feel this way.

One: that would make him gay. True, he's always been oblivious and careless to the opposite sex in the past and spent more time with the same, Ash only thought this was because he was just young and didn't understand these kinds of things yet. And two: Gary would probably reject him anyway. The guy didn't seem to wanna fall in love with anybody at all, sometimes. Which really crushed his fangirls' hearts instantly.

He couldn't be falling for him. No, this was just too sudden. Maybe he really is just coming down with something, and is going crazy from it. That's a possible theory...

"Ash, why are you still here?" His history teacher sniffed, giving him a cold glance. "Shouldn't you be going?"

Ash sat back up immediately and glanced around in a fast motion. Sure enough, he was still sitting at the desk spacing out while the last two students were leaving the room. He groaned and slipped out from his desk.

Of course, his teacher was a very observant man. He blinked, studying Ash closely as the confused teenager strode past his desk. "Are you feeling alright? You don't look well today."

"Uh...I-I'm okay." Ash quickly replied, waving a dismissive hand and chuckling nervously. "I just didn't get any good sleep last night!"

His teacher obviously wasn't convinced. Yet he rolled his eyes and waved briefly as Ash hurried out of the room as quickly as possible.

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Ash walked along the halls of the school with his arms behind his head in a relaxed way. His eyes were closed, as he was in deep thought. And although he wasn't proud of it, he knew the entire layout of the school easily and could find his way around even without looking.

Those thoughts he had about Gary during class...they were invading his mind like every second. And it was just so frustrating and confusing. He didn't know what to do anymore, and this was only the second class of the day! How would he be able to go through the other classes sitting in close proximity to his rival? Knowing his suddenly-dirty mind, he would be getting images of him undressing...or even worse: in _bondage_. Not that his mind wasn't _trying_ to see these kinds of mental images, of course.

"Aw, I'm screwed." Ash murmured under his breath irritatedly, his arms fell limp by his sides and he just picked up his pace. Honestly, he didn't know where he was even going. Just as long as he could escape to somewhere dark and dreary, to clear things up in his head.

"Oh my God!" Ash cringed at that really girly voice, and glanced towards the right to see a short blond-haired girl wearing sweat clothes giggle loudly. "Did you see him today? He's wearing those tight, sexy jeans! I would have _so_ tried to slap that ass if the teacher wasn't staring at us like a hawk!"

Another girl that was leaning against the door, wearing a tank top and frilly skirt that complemented her dark red hair, giggled in response and then covered her flushed cheeks. "I know! I wanna ask Gary out very, very, very badly! I had bumped into him by accident when I was trying to get in line to the water fountain and he _winked_ at me! EEEEEE~!"

Ash just stared and reluctantly listened to their fangirly exchange. He didn't know why, but he had a hunch that it was due to the way they were describing his rival. Their descriptions were surprisingly accurate, not like Ash actually felt this way. That would make him kind of gay, wouldn't it?

"He is so sexy, I can't believe you could contain your dignity, I would have fainted right there!"

"Well, I AM popular with the guys after all..."

"Ha, only in your dreams. By the way, why don't you try and ask Gary out? If you don't, I'll take the chance!"

"I wish I could, but he plays SO HARD TO GET! He doesn't ever really go out with anyone openly, and I heard rumors from Dawn that he likes to play with their affections and drop them without a second thought. So...I don't want to risk the heartache..."

"Not like last August?"

"HEY...! I thought Barry was smiling at me because he liked my flirting attempt, I didn't know it was because I was wearing my shirt backwards and he didn't want to tell me!"

Listening to those girls was becoming much too annoying. And their fangirling really got on his nerves. Ash couldn't help but wonder, why they even tried to pursue Gary if he treated them like shit. It was apparent that he couldn't care less about their feelings anyway.

Giving the infatuated girls a quick annoyed glance, Ash just continued walking along the halls and occasionally greeted some of his passing classmates. Their still was time to get prepared and find out what Gary wanted to talk to him about before math class.

Of course, his mind was everywhere but school. He was getting lost in thought...suddenly seeing these flashback images in his mind about his childhood with Gary. And how exactly they've become rivals in the first place.

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"_Ash, there's a new family that's moved in next door to us." Delia Ketchum explained with a kind smile as she and her five year old son stepped out the front door and started walking along the path to the home next door. "They have a son that's your age, and I think it would be nice to welcome them into the town. Maybe you and the boy could become friends or something..."_

_Ash was now excited, he already had a few little friends that he hung around. But he was wondering what this other boy would be like. He knew you could never have too many friends of course, and was always quick to make another. Would he and the neighbor's son get along? What would he be like?_

_The walk to the house was short, and the two strolled up to the front door. Once Delia extended a finger and rung the doorbell a couple of times, Ash glanced around the small yard and then he caught sight of an dark red flash from around the back of the house._

_Curious, his feet was first to respond instinctively. He left his mother's side and started walking up to the little fence that separated the front yard from the back yard. At first, he wasn't sure how to get over that, and the gate was locked. So he did what any child would do in that situation: he backed up and then started running forward. With a high leap, he had successfully made it over the little fence that was just taller than him and fell into the yard a little shakily onto his knees._

"_Ow..." Ash closed his eyes in pain and then glanced down at his left knee; it was scraped from where he had landed against a concrete block, but the skin wasn't broken thankfully. "That's not good..."_

"_No, no it's not." A voice replied knowingly._

_Ash, alarmed by that voice, quickly looked up to see another pair of eyes looking at him in confusion. He realized that there was another boy, his age, crouching to the ground and glancing at the scrape. He had dark red, slightly spiked hair and was wearing a purple t-shirt from what he could see. Ash's mind clicked, and he realized that this must be the neighbor's son his mom was telling him about earlier._

"_Are you okay?" The boy extended a hand, like he was about to touch the wound. But he shook his head and quickly brought it back to his side awkwardly._

"_I...I think so." Ash jumped up to his feet, and the other boy followed suit a little bit unconvinced. "Anyway, I live next door. My mom told me that there was a family moving in next door, and we came to introduce ourselves. I'm Ash, by the way!"_

_The other boy blinked. "Oh...okay? I didn't think there were many other kids around here. Well," He seemed more relaxed now and nodded, before smirking. "My name's Gary."_

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Every time Ash would think about that encounter they both had, he would involuntary smile a little. Though he tried to fight it. Because truthfully, him and Gary weren't bitter towards each other at first. At first they didn't really see each other all that much after the encounter, only at school or on the weekends usually. But whenever they did see each other, they didn't stay in each others' presence too long.

It actually took a little while for them to start not being all that friendly towards each other. At first, there were these iffy and foreshadowing moments that implied their friendship would turn rocky. Ash could even now to this day remember it well.

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_About three years had gone by since they first met. Ash and Gary had the day off from school because of a holiday, and they really had nobody to spend the day with but each other. The two haven't really been in contact or socialized for about a week now, but Ash thought nothing of it._

_The usual spot the two boys would meet up was kind of a secret one that both happened to be in the know of. It wasn't too far from their houses, but it was concealed very well beyond a lot overgrown trees and wild plants. It was almost like a clearing almost on the other side with a vast view and beside a small river. This town they lived in was kind of out in the countryside-ish, so yeah._

"_Let's go to the usual spot!" Ash urged, almost really impatiently by his tone. "I can't wait to stretch out underneath the sun after all those chores mom made me do this morning!"_

_Something of a awkward chuckle came from Gary as he was being dragged along by Ash's death grip on his arm, and had no willing choice but to follow. "Hey, just calm down! It's not like anyone else knows about the place and will come take up any space! Ha, unless..." Gary paused, thinking for a moment as they arrived outside the clearing and his cramping arm was released. "Unless you've opened your mouth and told somebody."_

_That last statement caught Ash's attention, he whirled around and gave him a puzzled look, trying to find out what he was attempting to imply. "What? No, I haven't told anyone at all about this place."_

"_Not even your mom?"_

"_Nope."_

"_Isn't that kind of cold?" Gary noted. Ash didn't reply and sheer awkward silence overcame them. "Forget it. Just teasing is all."_

_Ash shrugged his shoulders and didn't give a second thought about what Gary just said in defense. He wanted to let this subject go, but something told him not to. And he was inward battle over what to do._

"_Oh, it's alright then, Gary! It just kind of seemed like...you were hinting that I'd do something stupid an' tell everyone about this place..."_

"_Well, I was." Gary murmured, glancing away as if he didn't want to look into Ash's confused dark brown eyes that were locked on him. "I wouldn't do anything stupid like that though. I can really think on my feet and come up with good ways to dodge without telling the secret. Is there a problem, Ash?"_

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"I can't possibly be falling for him. Not after all that's happened between us." Ash murmured quietly, almost depressed even as he made his way towards his own locker that was conveniently close to his rival's. Many other passing students had been giving him concerned looks because it was not in his character to be all mopey like this. He usually was full of spirit between classes. "Besides...how would he react if he found out I'm starting to see him in a different way? Would he just reject me? Would he...possibly...maybe...somehow...kind of..." A light shade of crimson crept up all the way to the tips of his ears, which surprisingly stood out even tough his skin was a little bit tanned from summer vacation.

Ash could suddenly remember why him and Gary even became rivals in the first place. He was not sure, he was getting so nostalgic all of a sudden, but he figured it was better to think of the past than something else completely different yet really appealing. Which will not be mentioned for the sake of the rest of his sanity.

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_Now ten years old, Ash and Gary really have been kind of drifting apart in their unlikely friendship. They barely ever spoke or hung out at places. It might have been because Ash had been making friends with so many more people; specifically this slightly-older boy named Brock and this red-haired tomboyish girl named Misty. And Gary had realized that he was not so into having many people close to him like Ash does, he's become kind of distant. And cocky because he's realized how he's gotten really talented with various things from schoolwork to simply playing a game of basketball or something. And many other kids in school have realized this fast and were fangirling/fanboying over him._

_It was a Saturday afternoon for Ash. A very boring one at that. He wanted somebody to talk or hang out with. But Brock was busy trying to catch up on homework and Misty was out at the local swimming pool with her older sisters. Everyone else he knew particularly well like these two just didn't feel like hanging out at the current time. He yawned and rolled over onto his left side from his bed._

_That's when he suddenly remembered that there was one person he could hang out with. A certain red-haired boy whom he hadn't really been keeping in touch with lately. Surely, on a boring weekend like this, Gary would have to be free for once, right?_

_After a few moments of hearing the phone ring on the other line, Ash finally received an answer. But it wasn't Gary's voice, it was more of a quieter female one._

"_Hello?"_

"_Oh, Mrs. Oak! It's me, Ash, I called to talk to your son. Is he there?"_

"_Gary...? Wait a minute, he's here in the same room. Let me ask if he can come to the phone. Will you hold?"_

"_Sure."_

_Ash waited for about ten seconds. Afterward, the same female voice returned._

"_I'm sorry, but Gary just walked out the door without saying anything. I caught him murmuring some stuff about 'talent' and 'sports'...God, I don't know what he was talking about. But however, you might still be able to catch him before he leaves."_

"_Thanks, Mrs. Oak!"_

"_No problem. Bye."_

_So after hanging up the phone, Ash shouted a quick goodbye to his mom and quickly walked out of the house._

_Since Gary apparently didn't hear him, Ash decided to trail him to where ever he was headed. After some confusing turns and twists, Ash discovered that Gary was walking to that 'secret spot' that the two of them used to play together at. It wasn't really so secret anymore after two years. They both kind of matured mentally and realized it was strange to keep it hidden. Though Ash was reluctant about telling other souls because the place actually meant something to him._

_Memories._

_After arriving at the 'secret spot', Ash stayed low for a little bit. He peeked through the bushes to see that Gary was all alone this time. That was strange, as he was pretty popular suddenly and always showing off and bragging around other kids. In fact, he didn't look quite as cocky or hotshot-ish like usual. Ash almost thought that he looked...frustrated and thoughtful? Huh, that was weird. Ash was very curious now, so he got up and skillfully slipped through the thorns on the bushes over to where he was friend was._

_Ash greeted him normally, but Gary didn't expect it and nearly jumped a few inches off the ground before quickly composing his self and muttering a reply back like always._

"_So what are you doing here alone?" Asked Ash curiously as he took a seat by Gary on the grass. He cocked his head to the side. "If I had known you were coming, I would've tagged along too with some other kids-"_

"_No...I just wanted to be by myself for a little bit. There's something bothering me, actually." Gary's tone was unusually low. And it was really weird, considering that he almost always spoke with confidence in it._

"_Ah..." Ash snapped a finger and then smirked. "So tell me about what's bothering you! Wait, uh, is it about what Misty spread around school about you cheating on that test? Because I don't believe that one's true and-"_

"_It's not that. I've been thinking..." Ash blinked, not realizing where he was going with this. "Well, I just don't think we should really hang out any more. I feel like we just aren't cut out to be friends. You get what I'm sayin', Ash?"_

"_What?" Yes, it was a lame reply. But Ash was too shocked to really think of anything else to say._

"_Sometimes...people have to go their separate ways. It's no big deal, really." Gary continued, now sounding like this was a normal routine for him and that he was bored. He put his hands in his pockets and brushed past him. "See you around. Glad you followed me here when you did, or else I'd be going crazy over how to tell you without you getting offended."_

"_...Wait, I am kind of offended." Gary, maybe a little bit surprised admittedly, turned around. "But if that's the way you want it to be, then fine."_

_Gary was silent for a long time, and didn't ever reply to that. But he did flash him a smirk and then took his leave causally. While Ash just decided to sit there for a while and register in his mind all that had just happened in those few minutes. It all came down on him and he just silently and slowly sat back down on the grass._

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And not too long after that, they both decided to become rivals. It was later close to sundown and Ash had decided to go fishing in that river in the 'secret spot'. He had hooked this real big fish, he had seen it flop and jump into the air gracefully while he tried to reel it in. But then he noticed that his soon-to-be catch had _another_ hook in it's mouth. Sure enough, his suspicions were correct. Gary was on the other side of that river with his own fishing pole. The two had a big battle over how would catch that fish. Whether they were being serious or not, Ash still didn't know why. But in the end, the weight finally proved to be too much for the poles. The hooks broke off, Ash and Gary both fell backward onto the ground, and the fish swam away for it's life. Neither had gotten the catch and were frustrated at the other person.

It was at that moment that they realized how natural competing with each other felt. Almost like it were meant to be. The adrenaline rush, the feeling of frustration entangled with a hint of wanting to do it once again, it felt right. So right there, at that moment, they declared themselves rivals. And the rest was history.

Since then, for six years, they've competed over almost everything. From grades, to sports, fishing, and just about anything that was a part of their daily lives! Ash had noticed for a while that Gary really was kinda skilled at a lot of things, forcing himself to be a little bit envious and want to surpass him someday. But secretly, he admires him and always had.

The fact that he was suddenly seeing him in a whole different light...it was kind of embarrassing, really. He was becoming attracted to him, and that made him gay. Not that he was against that sort of thing, he just knew that not everyone in the world accepted gays. And many thought of one liking the same sex was un-natural, gross, or twisted. But if you truly loved that person, did it really matter what sex either of you are? Who are other people to say what sex you should fall for? Hell, some people in the world didn't care _at all_ about crossing those lines and fell head over heels for either! Ash shifted his eyes and glanced at some of the passing students, he knew that even if he _maybe_ were falling for Gary, he'd have to be very discreet starting now. Because if word got out, rumors would spread, and then he'd be rejected by some of his peers due to their own disagreement with his sexuality. And not to mention that Gary may not accept his feelings, nor his own close friends, or his mother.

Geez, life officially sucked for Ash.

The weight of his problems suddenly fell onto his shoulders and he sighed tiredly. He glanced up, and froze in the middle of walking immediately. Literally in fact, because he couldn't make any movements whatsoever; they wouldn't agree with what his brain was trying to direct them. He could see a familiar face mere inches away from his own.

Gary's face, much to his discomfort.

Quickly, Ash jumped back and stammered a greeting. He could feel his face suddenly burn as if it were on fire or something like that. Which, he wouldn't doubt it. He had felt like he had gotten absolutely lost in those gorgeous eyes...

Oh shit, he just had to think they were gorgeous! What was he thinking?

"Oh, you're finally here." Gary nonchalantly greeted, apparently oblivious to Ash's obvious nervous state. "I was beginning to think you forgot or something. Though, that would be like you."

Ash swallowed and tried his best to be all upbeat and ready to do anything like he usually was. But due to being tired as hell, and trying to denial his sudden thoughts about his rival, that was impossible. "I read your note in history class...what's up?"

"Wait," Gary raised a hand. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You've been wandering around like a zombie today, nearly falling asleep, your stammering, and now your face looks redder than my own hair. I wanted to talk to you, because this is really freaking me out! I feel uneasy..."

"What?" Ash furrowed his eyebrows together and pointed an accusing finger. "You could've just asked me that after class while we were leaving, Gary! Why would you go through all the trouble to write a message, risk getting caught by the teacher while sending it, and set up this little confrontation, JUST to ask me that?"

"Yup. Pretty much. I like to make things more interesting...and maybe test you to see how eager you would be to find out what I wanted to chat about. Haha, you're still the same. That's good to know at least."

Ash could only stare. But he finally recovered, and smacked a hand to his forehead, allowing it to slowly fall of and retreat back to his side. He realized that they had just wasted a good amount of time with this confrontation, when he could have been preparing for class. But on the other hand...it was nice to speak with Gary again. As he didn't do it too often. And plus, getting to see him once again in those tight and sexy jeans- and he was getting much too far with these thoughts!

"But seriously...why are you like this all of a sudden?" Gary inquired, this time admittedly more serious.

"Uhhh...ah...it's-it's nothing. I'm probably just coming down with something; it's no big deal! You don't have to worry about me at all!" Somewhere deep down, Ash so knew this was more than just some illness that could be cured fairly easily.

For some strange reason, the last part of Ash's reply had really caught Gary off guard. The part about where he pretty much mentioned he thought that he was _worried_ about him. His eyes widened briefly in surprise and his cheeks lit up bright red instantly, but he wouldn't allow himself to be caught off guard like this. "Whatever. But, I wasn't worried or anything..." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and brushed past Ash, trying to walk away as quickly as possible, but not too fast. He couldn't let him see that he was a little embarrassed after all.

Just as Gary had made it a little distance away, he sighed and then turned his head around to look at Ash over his shoulder. Something of an attempted genuine smile was trying to sneak slyly onto his lips, yet he tried to fight it back. "Feel better, man." And he didn't wait for a response, he just started walking off to the next class as the bell begun to ring.

Ash didn't hear that bell. All he could do was stand there frozen in place by the lockers, and here Gary's last statement ring and repeat in his mind.

_**~End of Chapter~**_

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Yes! I finally finished writing the second chapter! Woo hoo, take that writer's block! Did-ja like the chapter...? Did-ja REEEEEALY like it? Oh my god, I'm jittery! I'm so jittery! I can't stop shaking, I can't stop pouring more coffee into my cup! OOOOOOH MY GOOOOOOD, WE'RE DOOMED!

Sorry about the crazy talking, I really am kind of, REALLY jittery from all this coffee and trying to stay awake to update! I shouldn't do this, it isn't healthy probably! I know! *Takes a huge sip of coffee* But it's just like writing shonen-ai; it's way too addicting! D:

I hope you liked the chapter~! More to come, really, really~! Hopefully, I won't be so jittery and crazy from all this coffee by that time! Please read and review, and all that stuff!

*Instantly crashes, falling out of my computer chair and curls up in a ball on the floor as I pass out*


	3. Step Three: Acceptance

A/N: Now we have passed "the realization" and the "denial". Now we're onto the "third step". And I'm really abusing these quotation marks, aren't I? -.-' Well, anyway, THIRD STEP. Don't worry, I'm not high off coffee anymore. And I'm calm. I had a little bit of writer's block at first.

And I started listening to love songs. I tried to search some down and find one that would be fitting for this chapter. Naturally, I searched down some of my personal favorite groups. LOL. It was hard finding one that was fitting, but I did come out victorious. So here's the third step that you've been waiting for: _**Acceptance.**_

Yeah so, now this chapter covers over how these feelings will be accepted. There will be a lot of unexpected timeskips during the chapter, you may get lost if you don't pay close attention. Or maybe not.

_**Every time I see your face**_

_**My heart takes off an a high speed chase**_

_**Now don't be scared, it's only love**_

_**That we're falling in**_

_**I would never do you wrong**_

_**Or let you down or lead you on**_

_**Don't look down, it's only love**_

_**Baby, that we're falling in**_

_**- Falling In, by Lifehouse.**_

Disclaimer: I STILL DON'T OWN POKEMON. :|

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_**~Five Steps to Falling In Love~**_

_**~ Step #3: Acceptance ~**_

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"So it was a very hard test, but I think I passed."

"This salad is gross-looking, Dawn. Why are you eating that...?"

"I totally asked him out! He said he'd think on it, but I'm remaining positive! I KNOW he'll say yes!"

"WHO WANTS TO TRADE MEALS WITH ME?"

"Brock, you need to stop flirting with Lucy. Continue to do that between classes, and she'll probably faint next time. Geez, can't you realize she's head over heels for you secretly?"

Ash was barely even hearing all these loud conversations that were surrounding him. His mind was just racing wildly. Even more so since he had met up with Gary in the halls. It was all because of that one phrase...

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_Just as Gary had made it a little distance away, he sighed and then turned his head around to look at Ash over his shoulder. Something of an attempted genuine smile was trying to sneak slyly onto his lips, yet he tried to fight it back. "Feel better, man." And he didn't wait for a response, he just started walking off to the next class as the bell begun to ring._

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It was just one stupid, generic phrase that he could have heard from anybody. He shouldn't be getting so flattered by that, Gary probably was just teasing anyway. It's not like he was genuinely concerned about him like he was trying to get him to believe. Right?

After all, they've drifted apart and barely ever were around each other. They didn't know each other as well as they had used to years ago.

"...What do you think, Ash?" Ash, suddenly surprised by the question directed at him, flinched and looked up from the food he was absentmindedly stirring.

The person whom asked this question was Misty. She was a close friend of his, and was currently sitting by him. She could sense that he was really distressed, and was merely inquiring of why he was like that. She gave him a worried look when he made eye contact with her.

"Sorry for surprising you. I was just wondering...why are you so distant and distressed today?" Misty repeated herself, she also returned back to taking a bite out of her sandwich. But it was so hard to think about eating with Ash like this.

Nobody else was sitting with them at the moment. Ash realized this and felt a little more relaxed. Maybe he could try and get some help from Misty about this sudden...problem...he's acquired recently. She was always up for providing advice after all, though it did go to her head sometimes.

"I'm okay, Misty. I just...there's..." Ash sighed. He couldn't live like this. Being so confused and feeling strange, he wasn't himself anymore. He didn't even have the appetite to eat his lunch, which to any other classmate of his could be a sign the world was ending. "Actually, I, ah, oh screw it. I need some advice about something...but there's no one else I could turn to..."

What kind of advice could he be referring to? Misty was now curious, she quickly placed her half-eaten sandwich back on the plate and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll help you! Anything to get you back to normal, it's just so difficult seeing you this distressed!"

Oh that was _great_ for him. Now it was apparent to others that he looked like he had several rough problems in his life. Could it get any better than this?

He just realized how hard this would be to confess to Misty. The words were on the tip of Ash's tongue, but he couldn't get them any farther than that. He couldn't voice them. Speech was becoming impossible very fast, though he had already figured that it would be hard admitting this. He was really starting to send his best girl friend mixed messages, and he knew it.

Finally, he tried to compose himself. Ash begun talking a little bit lowly so nobody else at nearby tables could hear their conversation, "Misty, please don't let anyone else find out about this."

Misty rolled her eyes. "Of course I'll keep my mouth shut, Ash. I wouldn't tell anyone that easily, even I were tortured." A warm smile crept it's way onto Misty's face and she turned around to face Ash with her big curious eyes. "Now tell me what's wrong."

But to Misty's confusion, she didn't get a response. Ash was just staring off into space, thinking. Remembering that little scene in history class that he had been a part of when he first realized that he was beginning to think of his rival a different way.

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_Ash just wasn't paying attention. His mind was in a state of absolute chaos. So many emotions were taking over, and he didn't like it all. At least the other students had finally taken their eyes off of him and were either writing or actually paying attention to their teacher._

_Gary, however, was still looking at Ash. He and the confused boy made eye contact and held it for approximately eleven seconds. After this, he just flashed him a cocky smirk that he gave everyone when he was either in the know of some secret that no one else wanted him to find out about, or was just trying to be charming._

_It must have been the second one. And dammit, it was working. Ash usually didn't do this when he saw his usual little smirks, but he suddenly felt the tips of his ears burn, his heart pound against his ribs, and his feet to feel pretty lightweight._

_"Maybe I'm just coming down with something." Ash murmured under his breath as he rested his chin on his palm once again. His eyes traveled up to the board and her tried to keep them locked there. But his mind was everywhere but the history lesson._

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He obviously didn't want to have to bring this up. Misty had been around Ash long enough to know these kind of things. And she wanted to help him. She really did. But her patience was wearing fast.

However, Ash finally worked up the nerve to bring this up. He continued by bringing up Gary, mentioning how he was very popular with the girls around school and about how they all swooned over him easily.

Misty had nodded at this, agreeing. She was very aware of that fact. And for a twist, Gary happened to be sitting not too far away at a table alone. She could see him try to eat, but these two other random girls were flocking around him and just making fools of themselves trying to talk to him. She didn't see what was so great about him like all the other girls did.

"So is this...about Gary?" Misty asked a little warily. She didn't like where this discussion was going. Not at all. Fearing that maybe Ash was getting all gloomy about the other boy beating him at _something_ once again or arguing, or whatever. But to her surprise, Ash didn't look annoyed by her asking this. She actually saw his cheeks redden a little. "I guess it must be then. What'd he do or say this time?" Now annoyed, Misty leaned back in her seat with an irritated look. Awaiting for Ash's berserk button to be pressed any time now.

"No...it's just..." Ash abruptly stood up from his seat and grabbed Misty by the wrist, pulling her up with him. "Look, it's too embarrassing to discuss where Gary might be able to hear, Misty. Can we talk in the corner or something?"

Seeing the pleading look in Ash's big dark brown eyes, Misty couldn't say no. She now realized that this situation must be much more dramatic than what she had thought. So she gave him a silent nod in agreement, and Ash dragged her away with him to one of the corners in the lunch room which was by the wastebaskets.

Unbeknownst to them, Gary had been looking at them and could make out a little bit of what they had said from where he was sitting.

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The two stupid fangirls giggled to each other as they did as they were instructed and left Gary's table. He had told them to leave because, frankly, they were a pain in the ass and too annoying. They were too certain ones that were more...obsessive than the usual ones, so yeah...

To his dismay, he couldn't stop thinking about Ash. It wasn't in a lusty kind of way, mind you, it was because he was worried. As much as he couldn't stand to confess that. Ever since history class, he's been looking really tired and zombie-ish. And since he's given him that note telling him, Ash has been really nervous and jumpy around him. Not to mention constantly fidgeting under his gaze and turning bright red. It wasn't normal at all.

Now he's overheard that this whole thing is because of him. Great. Now Gary was too curious about this. He wanted to find out what was wrong with his rival. And _how_ he fit into the picture.

"I could suggest he go to the nurse or something," Gary murmured thoughtfully under his breath, pushing away his now-empty food tray and standing up. "But he might take my concern the wrong way. He may think...I'm trying to be friendly."

Gary couldn't have Ash thinking he was trying to be friendly; they were supposed to be rivals. But...truthfully, it's become one-sided as Gary has realized over the years that he didn't really dislike Ash all that much. And he was still trying to recall what had made him end their friendship in the first place.

And wait, why was Ash now on his mind no matter how he tried to drop the subject? Quickly, Gary brought his cold hands to his burning cheeks. No, there's no way that...

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"Ash! Just tell me what this is all about!" Misty cried out as Ash successfully dragged her over to the corner by the wastebaskets and released her wrist that he hadn't realized he was clasping very roughly.

"I'm sorry! I just...I couldn't let him hear this..." Ash apologized, not looking at her in the eyes. Instead, he had adjusted gaze from her eyes, to her yellow sweater, to her baggy jeans, to the floor. For some reason, he was too nervous for eye contact.

"Gary?" Ash nodded. "I don't get it...why are you so distressed about him? How does he fit into all of this at all?" Misty continued, adjusting her bright orange hair in a side ponytail.

"First of all, how do you know when you..._like_ someone who you thought you couldn't stand?" Ash quickly asked, just spitting it out and getting it over with. Now that he had brought himself to ask this, he could feel a hot blush rise up and spread to his ears.

Misty didn't answer at first. She couldn't, no matter how hard she tried, to find the right answer. Her mouth had opened and closed repeatedly, making her look almost like a fish.

"Misty~!" Ash whined in exasperation. He _needed_ answers for this. It's not like he could just skip up to any person he barely knew and ask this question. This was how much he's come to trust the orange-haired tomboy.

"D-did you _seriously_ just ask that question, Ash? I don't know the answer to that! Not many do!" Sputtered Misty, whom was blushing furiously at this point and waving her hands back and forth. "Besides, since when are you interested in anyone like that? I've been beginning to think you're asexual by now!"

"No...I'm definitely not asexual after what I've found out today..." Ash confessed after sighing. "But that isn't the point, I need to know. And you're probably the only person that I can get the answers from."

"What about Brock?" Misty suggested while raising an eyebrow. It would make more sense to her if Ash had directed this sudden question over to another guy. Not a girl. But her confusion was instantly shattered when Ash gestured over to a table nearby.

When Misty glanced over Ash's shoulder at the table, she understood what he was implying. She could see Brock sitting at the table in between a couple of annoyed cute girls and flirting shamelessly with them. Typical.

Ash brought his hand to his forehead. "Don't get me wrong, Brock's a good guy. But...well...you get it."

"I sure do." Misty mumbled as her eyes slanted a little. She felt really awkward for even suggesting Ash get Brock's help. "Okay, okay! I haven't ever really come up with this kind of problem...but I do know that, sometimes, your mind can tell you that you can't stand a person. You totally despise them. But your _heart_ talks differently; eventually the real feelings will resurface. Maybe you really do like him/her, but you don't want to accept it. Denial, in other words."

Ash wasn't exactly a bright person. Especially when it came to these kind of topics. But he tried real hard to follow Misty's lecture about all of this. He could see that she really wanted the ground to frigging open up underneath her and take her away from all of this.

"...In other words. You'll know you really like someone when it's time. I don't know for sure, if this is true or not, but you can't just rush it. When you really like someone you'll be thinking about them nonstop, your mind nearly breaking down over it. Your heart will flutter in their presence. You'll be eventually dying to be with them. And you may suffer from the occasional lovesickness, which is expected!"

Ash carefully listened to all of this new information, taking it in with great interest. He had hope that Misty knew what she was talking about. As she's fallen head over heels for classmates before and ended up getting hurt in the end as well. She's had tons of experience with these kinds of emotions, obviously.

"I think I understand a little bit more. But...uh...how do you deal with denial?" Ash's tone was sounded kind of quiet and quick at this point. Like he didn't want to ask. But Misty gave him a reassuring smile and begun her explanation again.

"Ash, denial is _normal_. So don't feel pressured at all! You see...denial is a bitch because it will always hinder you from accepting your feelings and asking the other person how they feel back. You'll be in this mental war with yourself and you'll try desperately to convince yourself that you don't feel that strongly. And, most of the time, you can overcome it. But you'll have to do it alone and listen to what your heart," For emphasis, Misty placed her own hand on her chest, over her heart. But Ash only blinked at this. "Tells you. You know, I think denial is usually and typically rough when it comes to discovering you like someone of the same sex. Because you're all: 'oh! This makes me gay!', or 'Dammit, I am straight! It's soooo twisted and wrong to like him/her this way!', but I don't think so. I mean, as long as you truly love him/her then those kind of borders can be broken...do you get what I'm trying to tell you?"

Misty was confused for a moment when Ash became very silent. She could see him try to avoid eye contact once again, but was relieved when he gave her a little smirk. Though it didn't seem genuine at all.

"Thanks for telling me all of this, Misty. I wasn't sure what to do. Maybe...maybe this is all just denial..."

Misty moved a little closer and gave him a pat on his shoulder. "Hey, you'll overcome your annoying denial and learn to accept your feelings for...hmm...ahhhh..._who_ is it that you're feeling this way about again? Girl or guy?"

At that last question, Ash could feel his cheeks begin to burn intensely. He avoided the question entirely by making up an excuse that he wasn't feeling well and had to leave ASAP. And he did just that. He quickly walked away and out of the lunchroom down the halls.

He didn't stop quickly walking away until he found himself by his own locker. And once realizing this, Ash glanced around to make sure nobody was passing by and he roughly hit his head against it and leaned on it tiredly.

All this information he had received...it was slowly sinking in. He realized that maybe he did like Gary. And maybe this was all just denial. Maybe all these weird and sudden feelings he's acquired over the years have been trying to tell him something but he shut them out. So...now everything's trying to come together and tell him for the last time that he really is falling for him.

But if that's the case...then this would be something hard to accept without the horrible thought of being rejected due to his questionable sexuality and Gary turning him down carelessly haunting him in the back of his mind...

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Hours came and went. Before Misty knew it, school was let out for the weekend and she was walking from the doors and down the small series of steps while other students were running down them in an overly-eager manner to get back home. As much as the last few hours were a blur, her mind was racing about why Ash had suddenly came to her with those questions.

Obviously, he must be finally seeing people in a whole different light. Finally beginning to develop romantic feelings. She had honestly been curious for a while about why he hasn't already, as puberty already hit like a long time ago.

Oh well.

Misty was sly. She would find out on her own, but when the perfect time comes. And now, Ash didn't want to talk about this subject. He's always been avoiding her for the rest of the day and hadn't even stopped to talk with Brock, May, Dawn, Ritchie, or any of his other friends. Which really meant something was wrong.

'_Since it's the weekend...I should have a few chances to find out what's going on before Monday. But I can't help but be worried. It's not like Ash...to..._' Misty's thoughts were interrupted as she heard someone call out to her. Puzzled, she looked around in every direction as she made it down the stairs and to the ground.

Then she looked towards the right, and noticed Gary leaning against the school building trying to get her attention. Misty was a little alarmed that he was actually trying to get her attention, as he never really seemed to give a damn about her before, but she shrugged her shoulders and strolled up to him nevertheless.

"Hi. Um...where you calling me just now?" Misty choked out. Not being able to think of anything else to say. She had to make sure that she didn't sound like she was too curious about this or eager to interact socially with him, or his rapid fangirls would be onto her in a heartbeat.

"Yeah, I was. You're, ah, Misty right?" Gary seemed to be just as confused about how to make conversation as her.

Good. Misty smiled and explained that she was, and that she was close friends with Ash. She knew that he probably wasn't too knowledgeable about this because he and Ash barely talked anymore. And the only words exchanged between them were basically during the times they were competing.

"I had overheard a little bit of your conversation at lunch today. Not to sound creepy or anything. I've been wondering what that was all about." Gary explained pretty casually. His tone didn't waver at all. Hmm, Misty noted, he really could be remarkable sometimes. "So why did Ash ask you about _love_ and all that?"

Something clicked in Misty's brain. She merely crossed her arms and tried to look as uninterested as she could muster. Which was...hard, as she was very amused.

"Oh, I'm not real sure if I should tell you or not...but Ash doesn't really have much knowledge about romantic feelings. I had to explain it all to him because obviously, he seems to be falling for someone at long last." Misty replied. She then thought for moment. "I just don't know _who_ it is. I hope to find out over the weekend though. Since I'm his friend, I think it's fair."

Gary really seemed like he was interested in this. Too interested if you get what we're hinting at here. Kind of like he, like Misty, wanted to know exactly who this person was that Ash was falling for. For a brief period of seconds, the tomboyish girl could even see a look of jealously flash through his eyes.

Why would he be jealous though? And why would he care in the first place? These questions were still unanswered for Misty, it was nearly killing her that she couldn't decode them. But she vowed to herself that she would find out how Gary fit into all of this.

"I wonder who this person is..."

"Why do you want to know, Gary?" Gary turned, to walk away. But Misty smirked impishly as a conclusion formed in her mind. "Are you..._worried_? _Jealous_?"

She didn't think it would happen, but it did. Gary froze in the middle of taking a step and Misty could sense that he was surprised and totally caught off guard by what she just tried to hint. He whirled around with widened eyes as his face was beginning to turn a light shade of red fast.

"Of course not! It doesn't matter to me!" Gary insisted, so caught off guard that his composed facade was shattered. He sounded truly flustered.

Of course, Misty wasn't convinced. She merely shook her head and then shifted her backpack over her shoulders, brushing past Gary to get to the path that let to her home.

"Whatever you say..." Was all Misty said, giving him a wave. She knew this wouldn't be the last time she will encounter him though. Somehow she just had the feeling.

And Gary just stood there, for once, completely caught off guard and trapped in "what the fuck?" kind of moment. He watched her walk away until she was out of his sight, before he rubbed his head and started walking off to get back to his own home.

The entire walk to his house, Gary couldn't get Ash off his mind. Or any of the stuff that his friend was implying. And so, he realized that since he couldn't stop thinking about this, he should just accept it. Little did he know, his problems were only beginning.

So were Ash's...

_**~ End of Chapter ~**_

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I don't really like the way this chapter ended. But I couldn't think of a single thing, so...I just decided to stop it at this point.

The story isn't over yet! There actually is more problems beginning! But you'll see once we move on to the next step of this story. You'll all see. *Shifty eyes*

And many apologies for the late update. I had to hold it for a few days because I've had to help a friend out after a surgery. And well, I didn't even have time to think about writing. But the next update? It should hopefully be ON TIME! I won't leave you hanging for too long!

You see that button on the bottom of the page? It's calling you to read and review~! :]


	4. Step Four: Regret

A/N: Just a little bit delayed, but here's the fourth chapter for you all! It may be a little bit longer than originally planned, possibly rushed, but I suppose it turned out okay. And here we are now onto the fourth step of Ash and Gary's relationship which is titled: **Regret**. Because this chapter may not include much, but there's a little bit more of a look into their past. Of course, the full details about why their friendship ending so suddenly without much of a reasonable explanation won't be revealed until the last chapter. But at least this will make you more eager to see how the story will end, am I right?

_**But now it's over, it's over,**_

_**Why is it over**_

_**We had the chance to make it**_

_**Now it's over**_

_**It's over**_

_**It can't be over**_

_**I wish that I could take it back**_

_**. . .**_

_**I'm falling apart, I'm falling apart**_

_**Don't say this won't last forever**_

_**You're breaking my heart...**_

_**-It's Not Over, by Secondhand Serenade **_**(Random comment: I had trouble trying to determine what kind of song to include here, as the one's I listened to didn't capture the feeling well. Did I succeed or fail...?)**

Disclaimer: Look, I don't own Pokemon. I wouldn't be sitting on my butt at my computer writing fanfiction if I owned Pokemon, now would I? :( Though admittedly, owning it is sounding appealing the more I fantasize about it. I'd be rich and well-known... *angst-ing in the corner*

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_**~Five Steps to Falling In Love~**_

_**~ Step #4: Regret ~**_

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Today was one of the most roughest days of school he's ever experienced, that was for sure. And really, Ash didn't want to think about it much. But all the events of this day kept crossing his mind and seemingly teasing him. He normally wasn't this down, but here he was looking blank and stripped of enthusiasm as he trudged the streets of his hometown to get back to his house.

The sun was beginning to dip low, slipping into the dark orange rays for that night. For some obvious reason, the day had really dragged on. It seemed like it wouldn't end soon enough so that he could escape this living hell.

Ever since talking with Misty about what falling in love with someone was like, well, he's applied all of her advice and theories to his sudden iffy thoughts about Gary. The more he thought about it, the more he could see that he was coming to a conclusion. The conclusion that it was true; he was really falling for him after all this time. Out of all the people he could develop special feelings for, for the first time ever, it had to be him? Why? He hadn't ever really _considered_ this possibility. And he hasn't ever felt this way about him before. So why now?

Ugh, thinking about all of this was bringing a sharp pain into his forehead. He couldn't handle all this drama anymore. If Ash were to go on living this way, he'd try and talk his mom into moving far away. Though, maybe, that wouldn't be a good idea after all. He would just be running away from his problems when he should take them head on with never-dying determination and settle it all. What was that random phrase that his mother would occasionally tell him when he would ask about what falling in love felt like, again? Something along the lines of: _you can't run from love_. Hmm, maybe that phrase was actually accurate.

The confused teenager looked around the area surrounding him. Everyone looked so carefree and without any problems. At least, that's the way they seemed in his eyes. Like their lives were peaceful. And his was so screwed up and tense now. Somehow, it wasn't fair to him.

Wait. Why was he thinking this? He wasn't the only one with problems. Nobody's life is perfect, and he wouldn't be the only person in the world to be seeing the same sex in this kind of light. He'd heard rumors about a few classmates that were, you know, acting a little strange. If word got out about him being this way too...then it was highly likely that he'd end up just like them. He would get teased and talked about behind his back until everyone thought that he was disgusting for being this way.

Tch, it was so frustrating. To think that there's people out there that act like it's a terrible sin. Could you really help which you're attracted to? Could you really determine exactly, point blank, whom you'll fall for? _No_. It's wasn't anyone's fault at all. That's just the way it is, Ash figured. You just have to live life the best way possible, and tell yourself that anyone bashing you is just expressing their rude opinions. But that's the catch; it's hard, very hard, to live life without worrying about what others happen to think.

The point is that he may end up being rejected. By either Gary or several other people. And it made his blood boil to think about this. Maybe he was falling for his so-called rival, or maybe not. But one thing he was certain of is that he didn't want the world to have to be this way. For him or anyone.

His tired brown eyes slowly looked up at the setting sun. Ash stopped walking altogether, taking a short break at a bus stop to admire it. Usually, looking at the sunset really relaxed him. It made him get a grip on life and let everything that had happened to him previously sink in and he could continue on with a strategy of how to handle it. This one time...as he stared. He noted something that was sadly realistic and the truth:

Nothing works out the way you want, or expect it to.

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_"Okay, okay! I haven't ever really come up with this kind of problem...but I do know that, sometimes, your mind can tell you that you can't stand a person. You totally despise them. But your heart talks differently; eventually the real feelings will resurface. Maybe you really do like him/her, but you don't want to accept it. Denial, in other words."_

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It was what Misty had said...that part of her flustered explanation was what stood out the most to Ash. He couldn't stop trying to break it down and apply that to his back and forth kinda relationship with Gary. If it was really like the way Misty had said that...then that means he thinks that he can't stand him.

He thinks that he's so overrated by everyone. He thinks that he's just a person, nobody's that skilled and talented. He thinks that yet, Gary's pretty amazing still. And even despite his popularity with everyone in that school; both girls and guys, and lets it go to his head most of the time and get arrogant, he could still be a good person somewhere inwardly. He may not want to show this though for some reasons that Ash couldn't really dwell into at the moment. Maybe this other side of him that thinks these good things is his heart talking? It seemed to make a little sense in context.

If he really does like Gary and has all this time, the only thing keeping him back from the realization of it all was _himself_. Which all takes the path back to the denial that his best girl friend had stated in her lecture.

Now, as Ash walked up to his doorstep and grasped the knob, he realized clearly that maybe it was just his own mind trying to tell him he disliked him. Which is denial. Knowing this, he felt even worse all of a sudden and applied too much pressure to that poor knob as he slammed the door open. This wasn't out of anger. This wasn't out of sadness. He didn't know why he was doing this. But there was some feeling there that he couldn't determine. But one fact that he was sure of: regret. If he really had liked Gary this way all this time...then he regretted never realizing it sooner and doing anything about it. Maybe he wouldn't be suffering like this if he had.

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Ash entered his home and carelessly untied and kicked off his sneakers at the door. His mom would have to find them later and decide to give them back to him anyway. He silently walked through the house so that he wouldn't get her attention. Usually him and his mother were close, but he didn't feel like talking to anybody right now. There was nobody that he could tell his problems too and get support. He surely didn't feel like bringing all these to Delia anyway. God knows how she would react.

"Ash...? Is that you, sweetie?" Delia's cheerful voice rang from the nearby study. Ash flinched at this and noticed he was standing right in front of the open study. His mother was sitting at a desk writing something with her back to him. Despite getting older, she still looked young and friendly. He wondered briefly how she hadn't had men all over her all these years of being single.

"Uh...yes. I'm back from school, but I don't feel well. I think I'll just go to why room for a while." Ash replied a little uneasily. She had went along with this, and he started to slip away. But he froze in place when he heard the tap of her place down her pen.

"Okay...do you want me to start preparing dinner? I've been very busy with work today and just got in about twenty minutes ago myself."

Ash shook his head. He wanted to eat, his lowly growling stomach was telling him that. But feeling this down and lacking of his usual energy, he didn't think he could even bring himself to do that. "No, I'm not hungry. I...I ate a lot at lunch earlier today."

Delia had muttered to herself, but relaxed in her seat at the desk. "Hmm...okay then. But let me know whenever you do get hungry later, I'll pull something out!"

"I know, mom."

He released a small breath. And then Ash disappeared from the hallway just as his mother turned around to give him a worried glance. She could hear his feet hit the floor as he made his way to his bedroom.

That was strange. Ash always had an appetite when he came in from school. Whether he had eaten a big lunch or not. Her motherly instincts were kicking in and she had considered following him and making sure he was not too ill. But she changed her mind and told herself that she would give him a couple of hours, and drop off a snack for him.

Yet...she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with her son. Very wrong.

_._

_._

_._

_A thirteen year old Ash walked along the autumn streets of his hometown. Admiring the orange, yellow, and brown leaves that fell delicately from the trees and blew in the soft breeze. He didn't know why he liked the season. It just was cool seeing all of the scenery that this small town was known well for._

_Plus, it calmed him. He was too busy burning with irritation over something that had happened yesterday. Him and his once-friend, Gary Oak, competing once again. The both of them had gone outside after being told to rake up all of the fallen leaves._

_Noticing how nicely set this was, it escalated into a competition to see who could rake up all the leaves the quickest. After about half an hour, Ash had collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion. But he had looked up long enough to see that his rival had managed to finish the large pile of ember-colored leaves. While he still had a ways to go._

"_Ugh..."_

"_Ash!"_

_Ash had fallen to the ground on his knees and panted. He felt like crap, sore and thirsty. But he was too competitive and could not stand the thought of losing to the other boy. Gary had, for some reason that was beyond him, leapt over the small fence separating their yards and rushed over to examine his condition. Ash didn't pay much attention to the things he was saying or asking in odd concern, he just was very surprised that he had gotten some sympathy and came over like this._

"_Hey, come on. You didn't have to exhaust yourself to death." Gary mentioned in a scolding manner, grabbing Ash's shoulders and helping him up to his feet. Once up, it took him several seconds to realize he was still holding on. And flushed briefly before bringing them back to himself. "It was obvious I'd win anyway, I have more energy and stamina than you._

_Ash, irritated and slightly-embarrassed shook off the pain in his limp arms and legs and had glared. "Don't give me that look, Ketchum. You know it's true."_

_Ash now folded his arms and growled under his breath as he walked the streets. After crossing a lot of afternoon traffic, he sensed another presence walking beside him. That fire-y hair matching the falling leaves was all too familiar to him. And he immediately sniffed._

_Gary had stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked beside him rather calmly. Not showing any signs of being offending by the way he wanted to ignore his presence. But they both had to take this direction to get to their respected destinations._

"_So...where are you going now? Are you sure that you should be even on your feet right now after all that?" Gary pointed out, he hoped he didn't sound quite as worried as he might have. That would really ruin his reputation right there._

_Ash just surpassed an eye roll and kept his gaze locked ahead of him on the road they were crossing. Luckily, there wasn't much traffic now. "After raking the leaves, my mom told me to go pick up a few things at the store. Since she's gotten a new job now and is getting stressed, I try and help her out as much as I can."_

"_Does it help her out?"_

"_She says it does. I don't mind helping mom out, but it really takes away a lot of my freetime! Ugh, I guess this means I'll have to start doing things like making SCHEDULES and PLANS and all that crap..."_

_Now they rounded a corner of the street, and Gary sighed in irritation. "You know, there's nothing wrong with making those. I have to make them all the time because I'm always doing stuff. You're pretty lucky you got all this time. And, changing the subject," his lips were fighting to curve into a little smile, but Gary didn't allow that to happen. At least, he couldn't around Ash. Though maybe he wanted to. "Not sure if you realize it yet, but you're actually a little bit better than I am at something."_

_Those words left Ash speechless. The two kind of froze where they were walking along the sidewalk, and Gary almost thought that he might have broken his rival by saying that. Dammit, he should've known not to say that stuff._

"_I'm better than you at something...?" Ash instantly grinned and pulled Gary aside to hold his shoulders. "You're admitting that? Out of the blue? I just knew that I had to better at you than something! What is it? What is it?"_

_Honestly, Gary hadn't intended to say that loud enough where Ash could hear that. He didn't want him to have to know he thought he was better than him at something due to his own competitive nature. But at the sane time, he had this feeling that he wanted him to know that so maybe he wouldn't be so down about not being able to beat him all the time._

_Now that he thought about this deeper, he was surprised to figure out that this was THAT kind of situation; a situation in which, depending on your response, can either make or break it. He had the chance to either put an end to their rivalry right here on the spot like a voice in his head was telling him to do. But then he could turn around and play it off like he hadn't meant what he said. Which would only spark Ash's temper and make this whole rivalry thing burn on._

_It was a tough decision. Really, really tough. But in the end, Gary had decided to just play it off and defend that he didn't mean what he had said and was only trying to see how he'd react._

_._

_._

_._

Of all the memories that Ash held of him and Gary's time together in the past, this was one of them that really stood out. But there were others that took the cake by a longshot too.

The confused teenager didn't know why this memory had come to him. He didn't know the answer to anything at the moment. Somehow, he didn't feel like trying to figure out what it was and why this was severely bothering him. As long as he could just turn his mind away from that guy, then he was perfectly fine.

He closed the door behind him and slid his dark blue jacket off his shoulders. It fell to the floor, but he didn't bother to even pick it up. Ash walked over to his single bed nearly in a tired trance and lied down in the middle of it on his side. He wanted to just close his eyes and get all this stress off his shoulders and his mind away from Gary, Misty's explanation, his iffy sexuality, and whatever else that was dooming his life and making so unlike himself now.

He wasn't going to go too far and angst about any of this in a dark room though. Ash knew the drawn line between feeling down about your personal problems, and feeling like you were the only person in the world who had problems in your life and being driven to a suicide jump off a fifty story building. There was a _huge difference_, but Ash sure wouldn't ever go too far with it and make the latter a reality.

All he had to do, which he did already, was keep in mind that he wasn't the only person in the world with these kinds of problems. And unfortunately, just about every teenager experienced situations that really sucked. At least he wasn't alone on this one. He had his best friends Brock and Misty, and other friends like Tracey, May, Max, Richie, Dawn, ect, that came to him and would vent about their predicaments and angst. But he would watch them every day overcome them and move on.

It really did not seem like it now, but he could overcome his own problems too. He was a positive person most of the time and strove to believe in his strength that he could survive and not cross that aforementioned theoretical line.

Only...at the current moment in time, his belief was beginning to dull a little. He suddenly found himself recalling another memory and grabbed a nearby pillow and buried his face in it in something of misery.

_._

_._

_._

"_Ash, aren't you going to get ready for school?"_

"_Ugh...wha..."_

_Delia furrowed her eyebrows together and leaned in the open doorway of her thirteen ½ year old son, whom was still lying in bed and desperately trying to block out all the sudden light. "Come on, wake up! You don't want to miss the last day of school for the summer, now do you...?"_

_That last part of the sentence made Ash shoot up out of bed and hit the floor with a sudden burst of energy. Delia rolled her eyes as he lifted himself off his face and laughed nervously._

"_I completely forgot it's the last day! I gotta hurry and get to school so I can rush through the day and fastfoward to my summer vacation! Then-then me, Brock, and Misty are planning to go to the movies! And afterward there's gonna be a big basketball game! God, where did I put my clothes? Ah!"_

_Delia watched her son race around the room in nearly a blur. He had quickly gathered some clothes from the clean basket on the floor, a comb, and had rushed into the bathroom to get ready. She could hear rapidly running water, some splashes, a toilet flush, a muffled curse, and some stomping. It sounded like there was quite a lot of chaos occurring in there, it almost caught her off guard. Before she reminded herself that her son was always like this on the last day of school. He was always eager for summer vacation. She knew exactly where he might have gotten that characteristic from; she herself, would literally count down all her days of school and perform a backflip when it school was out for the summer._

_After Ash had gotten ready and scarfed down his quick breakfast, he had dashed out the door eagerly. Never in his life had he been so excited to get to school. Truth be told: he was only his eager because once he gathered his strength to survive the day, he could finally be free temporarily and have a wonderful vacation._

_He had so many things planned! His mom had promised they would go on a trip far away for a change, and he was going to do lots of things with his friends too. And during the summer he hoped that he would finally be able to unlock his potential and maybe beat his rival at something for just one time at least. Just for once...being in the spotlight...it would make him feel like he was on top of the world. He craved this feeling because he's become a little discouraged lately._

_The quick walk to school wasn't all that eventful. After about ten minutes the building was in his sight. And never had it looked so tempting to set foot into. Adjusting the red backpack on his shoulders, Ash made his way towards the doors when he begun to hear some talking nearby._

_Ash was naturally a curious person. He turned and rounded the corner of the building and peaked a little, what he saw was Gary talking to a girl about their age with fair skin and short, blond hair with spiraled curls._

"_So...um..." The girl, whom Ash hadn't ever really seen before around the school. Maybe she wasn't in his classes, he assumed. She blushed vividly and seemed to be really nervous about something. "Uh...ahhhh...I-I was just wondering if I could s-speak to you about something..."_

_Gary gave her a typical smirk that caused her to turn a further shade of red and fumble with her fingers. "Sure, that's fine. I haven't seen you around all that much."_

"_Oh...ummm...well nobody really notices me anyways." Mumbled the girl as a pained look flashed in her eyes. She tried to mask her obvious sadness though by smiling an empty smile. "I'm always...um...watching you though, not to sound c-creepy or anything, I've wanted to try and talk to y-you face to face but I lost my nerve every time..." The unfamiliar girl's pale green eyes lowered to the ground and she seemed to be too flustered to be able to look him in the eyes. Tch, typical, Ash had thought. Almost all the girls in the school basically melted at sight of him. "The reason I-I wanted to talk to you is because my parents, um, told me that we're going to be moving far away to another state. If I do not get this off my chest and voice it now, I would probably regret it later in the future..."_

"_That's understandable." Gary replied with not much interest. Ash could read him easily at this point, he got the vibe he wasn't even caring to talk to this very flustered and timid girl. So why...why did he feel some kind of pang of emotion in his heart right now? Listening to this conversation, Ash found himself with the urge to break it up. But he didn't know why. "Hey, just tell me whatever it is you have to tell me. Class will be starting soon and I can't be late on the last day after all."_

_The timid girls' eyes widened. "O-oh! I'm sorry for wasting your time! I'll be quick and...and straight to the point! Now, let me see," She breathed deeply and with a sudden wave of courage, she tore her eyes away from the ground and to his face. "Every single day, I-I can't get you off my mind! Ever since I first saw you on my first day of class I've been secretly a-admiring you! I want to be your girlfriend! But I know now that-that it's far too late...after all...I'm so shy and weak while you're so popular and cool and...and cute..."_

_That was far more than Ash needed to overhear. With a sudden wave of an unexplainable emotion, highly likely that it was jealousy, he clawed the school building leaving scruffs in the brick. And he was about to turn around and leave, when Gary's response made him freeze in his tracks._

"_Uh...sorry, but I can't really say that I feel the same way. I barely know you at all." Instantly relieved and he didn't know why, Ash released a breath he had not realized he was holding so roughly._

"_I was stupid for even letting myself get carried and believe you'd maybe say you've actually noticed me and secretly held feelings for me then." The blond girl looked crestfallen, Ash would have usually felt pity for her at a time like this. But shockingly, he felt relieved and wanted her to just take her drama elsewhere. He was disgusted with himself, but it was the truth. "I-I guess my older sister was right after all; young love isn't true. Or something...along those lines, I suppose. But I can see it in your eyes that you're thinking about s-someone ELSE..."_

_Blood rushed to Gary's cheeks and for once, he seemed shocked. Ash was forced to bite his tongue to hold in some amused snickering. "W-what gives you that idea?" He composed himself after a few seconds and played it off with a forced brief dry laugh. Though the redness in his face was not fading at all. "C'mon, I'm not interested in girls that way. It's just a waste of time."_

_The girl shook her head and lowered it to the ground as she slowly walked by him. "No, I wasn't talking about a girl. Think about it, Gary. And...g-goodbye..."_

_Even after the blond girl left, Ash and Gary were both rooted to the spots they had been standing in. The former confused, shocked, and jealous, and the latter confused, flustered, and embarrassed._

_Neither had made it to class on time. They both managed to make it by the time the bell just got finished ringing._

_._

_._

_._

Now that he thought about it, this memory really was a strange one. Ash had almost forgotten this one entirely, just like he wanted to. But now here it was all coming back to him in this state of confusion.

What had happened that day was strange. That moment when the timid blond girl had confessed to Gary that she had a crush on him, well, a wave of jealously and sadness had hit Ash like a train wreck. Though he was relieved that he rejected the girl shamelessly. Not that Ash approved of how he turned the girl down, but that is beside the point. Ash had, for these three years, wondered why he had felt that way when he eavesdropped on their conversation.

And now it was all clear and obvious. It was because he liked him...more than what he probably should. Maybe Misty was accurate with her explanation. Although Ash was not very bright; he could piece this together. And it seemed to make sense.

Clearly, he must have actually harbored feelings for Gary all this time. But due to being young and totally oblivious about this kind of stuff, he didn't realize. And now after all this time it's all coming together and heart is trying to get him to wake up and realize just what was truly going on.

And all day, Ash had been in denial over it. Which now, as he lied there on his bed and stared absently at the high ceiling, he regretted. Well, he did regret a lot of things now that he thought about it. He regretted allowing Gary to end their friendship, he regretted never trying to resolve everything and get things back to the way they were, he regretted trying to force himself to believe he hated the other boy, and most of all:

Ash very much regretted waiting so long to realize he had developed romantic feelings for Gary. Now there was so much wasted time, and he was too paranoid about the thoughts of others to be able to confess that he doesn't detest him and wants to put their rivalry to an end and maybe...maybe...slip into his arms, snake his arms around his neck and run his fingers through his spiked dark red hair and ki...

"_Whoa_, I can't even finish that thought...it's too embarrassing..." Ash sighed deeply and rolled over onto his side and buried his face into the pillow once again. Hoping that maybe he could block out reality, but there was no chance of that happening when he heard some soft knocking on his bedroom door.

"Ash...? Sweetie, are you alright?" The knob turned and Delia walked into the room, removing her reading glasses and brushing her red hair off her shoulders.

Ash lifted himself up from the pillow and shifted into a sitting position. He forced a smile as he made eye contact with his mother. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed to have a little time to myself to think about something..."

Motherly instincts kicking in, Delia closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed and sat on the edge ever so carefully. "Oh? Is there something wrong?" Her suspicions were correct, she figured. Ash squirmed uncomfortably at this question and avoided her gaze. "Ash, if there's something wrong...I don't mind listening. I want to help you."

"I don't think anybody could help with this problem." Ash admitted with a sigh. He knew he couldn't get out of this now, his mom was very good with wearing his defense down so she could figure out what was wrong.

"You don't know that. And it doesn't matter what the situation; there's always _someone_ you can confide in. Besides, I've been noticing that something's very wrong. Please just...tell me, sweetie." Blinking and meeting Delia's concerned eyes, Ash knew that this was it. Time for the truth to come out.

And the truth is that he had romantic feelings for another guy, whom was wildly known as his bitter rival, and might have always held these feelings but didn't realize until they developed so strongly to this point. Plus, not to mention, he could feel a reoccurring pang in his heart when he thought sadly that maybe it was _too late_ to admit to Gary's face.

The next few minutes were a blur for Ash as he calmed himself and confessed to Delia about all of this. Including his suspicions about having liked Gary before, but it was just now coming out. And he added in the things that his best girl friend, Misty, had explained to him about love. It was kind of embarrassing at first, but Ash shook that feeling because he realized that this was his mother he was talking to. Delia had raised him alone and the two were extremely close and still held a tight bond. He had always been able to take problems over to her and she wouldn't judge him badly or get pissed off about it. So why would she now?

Sadly, there were several people in the world that thought this kind of thing about being attracted to a member of the same sex was disgusting and insanity. And then fortunately, there were a few people who thought the opposite. With luck, his mother was the latter. And even if she wasn't, Ash knew somewhere that she loved him deep down and could not bring herself to disown him and throw him on his own to the streets.

_._

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_._

Elsewhere in town, in a small home downtown, the light to one of the rooms on the second floor suddenly shined from the window. A red-haired teenage boy kicked the door to his bedroom closed and walked into the room while keeping his eyes on his cellphone. Admittedly, he was in a mental war over what he should do next.

Gary paced the floor, knitting his brows together and glaring at this point. He knew this was wasting time, but he didn't care. What he decided to do could either make or break this relationship.

The number in his contacts stood out like a sore thumb...Ash's phone number. Which is the one he so badly wanted to hit and call. He would catch himself every time though and remind himself that he may be making the wrong decision and that it could kill their relationship to the dreaded point of not even at least being rivals with him, where he could at least still be around and see his face a lot. His...sweet face that he wanted so badly to hold and softly caress and then lean in and make contact with his lips. That was such a tempting thought. _Very_. Tempting. Yet, a doubtful part of him held the idea in the back of his mind that he could never do this. That his assumed rival would...reject his feelings. It seemed likely.

Dammit, why did it have to be this way? Why did that stupid little crush that sparked for Ash have to remain all this time and grow to these strong feelings that he just couldn't deny anymore? It was so stressful and was killing Gary inwardly, that he could not even bring himself to do anything about this. He hated it whenever he would get cowardly over something so...so...okay, simple wasn't the fitting word here. 'Cause confessing to Ash that he was frigging head over heels would take a lot of guts and would be one of the most toughest and embarrassing things he's ever had to do.

Sure he seemed very cool and composed on the outside, but he was still human on the inside and had emotions that he didn't like to reveal to the world. On the inside he's just reduced to a nervous wreak, he always had a difficult time with expressing personal feelings like this.

God, he was screwed now. If he had only tried to stamp out the realization of him having a growing crush on that clueless, loveable dumbass of a neighbor and rival then maybe...maybe now he wouldn't be having an inward war over whether or not to call him up and tell him to meet him at the school for the big dance tonight and confess to his face these unfamiliar feelings.

Or not.

"Damn it!" Gary finally just stopped his pacing and grudgingly took a seat on the bed, clawing the phone now. "Why can't I just suck it up and call him? What am I worried about, anyway? I can't change Ash's answer, and even if he does reject me; it's something I'll have to live with..."

"Ohho~! What's this I hear, brother...?" A female voice chirped from the cracked doorway. Gary could feel blood rush into his cheeks and he turned just in time to see a teenage girl of fifteen years step into the room with this big and cheesy smile clear on her face.

"Daisy, can't you ever just _knock_?" Gary growled at her, but this only raised her amusement as she giggled and smoothed the wrinkles of her green dress she was going to wear to the school dance.

"Hehehe~! You don't have to be so embarrassed! I happened to overhear what you said when I was passing by and it seems to me like there's something going on that I don't know about..."

"Will you just leave?" Gary groaned, setting down the phone and burying his head in his hands. Daisy was always so childish and nosy, it got on his last nerves pretty quickly and she knew it. "I'm busy thinking here, and you aren't helping in any way."

Daisy sent him an apologetic look and then leaned over and held his shoulders, hoping to be sending him concerned vibes. But he was only annoyed to death. "Tell sis _all_ about what's going on between you and...Ash, is it? I always thought you'd play for the other team somehow."

Several tense seconds passed. And Gary finally removed his head from his hands and sat there, avoiding his childish sisters' gaze. His defense wore pretty soon and he could feel the tips of his ears begin to burn intensely as he sighed. "Fine, fine. But you better keep this a secret for now until I can find out what to do about it." He gave her a very cold glare that easily proved he meant business. Daisy had gulped but nodded at this.

"I won't tell anyone, brother. Now spill it the information!"

_._

_._

_._

After having thought about this very hard while she was making last-minute preparations for the school dance tonight, Misty finally managed to decode the truth behind _everything_ she was sure. Very sure now. And she wanted to slap herself silly for being so dumb before and not realizing it sooner.

It was no clear to her what was going on: Gary and Ash...they both are falling for each other. That was her realization in a nutshell. Misty grinned to herself to think about this. After all, it made perfect sense in her mind. Ash had asked her what it was like to fall in love with someone, when he never had cared to know before. And he had asked her for answers while sneaking glances at the table his skilled rival was sitting at. And he refused to tell her the ambiguous identity of the person who he had his eyes on.

Later on after school was out, and just before she could leave, Gary had cornered her and came out and asked her what they were talking about. He also seemed highly curious about who the object of Ash's affections was. Oddly, he was also looking flustered and embarrassed when she had hinted to him that he might be a little jealous of said person.

She regretted not realizing the truth sooner. But that couldn't be helped now, could it? The best that the athletic tomboy could do now is push things along and play a role in this whole episode as a matchmaker. Or...something of a matchmaker at least.

Ash was one of her best friends. She would take a bullet for him if she absolutely had to. No doubt. She couldn't bare to sit back and watch him suffer with the weight of his problems like this. It killed her.

As she brushed through her shoulder-length orange hair that was let down for the evening, and checked out her own reflection to make sure her knee-length, strapless dark aquamarine dress clung to her figure well. A sudden idea flashed into her mind and she snapped a finger.

"I'll get Ash and Gary to meet up at the school dance!" She announced, looking into the bathroom mirror to see her reflection smirk back at her. "This would be the perfect chance to get them together, during some nice and fitting romantic tunes in the background, and have them make conversation that will dwell into the truth slipping out!" Quickly, Misty strutted out of the room and to her cellphone lying on her bed.

Quickly, she dialed Ash's cellphone number. As the annoying ringing hit her ears, she shifted her weight on each foot eagerly and awaited him to pick up. A little idea to get him and Gary together had already formed in her head and she just couldn't wait any longer to put it in full action!

This was going to be really _interesting_, Misty had noted once she heard Ash speak to her, having answered a few seconds ago.

_**~End of Chapter ~**_

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Believe me, I feel like beating myself up for not updating this sooner! I've been writing newer stories and forgetting about the other ones that needed to be finished...ugh, I HATE procrastination so much!

I hope you liked the chapter. It may have ended a little too soon, but don't worry about that at all. Because the end is in sight, and it will hopefully be a nice long chapter to wrap things up with a bang! I know the whole school dance element may be a surprise, because it sorta came out of the blue. Well, that's because I had written the ending to this story FIRST and had to try and have this chapter add up with it (I had said this in my first Author's Note, right?). I hope you don't mind this thing coming up so suddenly. ^^;

About Gary's sister...well, let's just say that I found my old Pokemon Leaf Green game and started playing through my unfinished game FOR A LONG TIME. I kept going back to the character's hometown just to relive memories of when I had first started this game years ago and when I got Squirtle as a starter Pokemon and beat the rival for the first time and and *Carries on like a total Pokemon-aholic* *Composes self after a very long time* Ahem...anyway, so I noticed the rival's sister actually existed, 'cause she had been such a minor character in the game that I hadn't even remembered her existence at all! I'm not sure if there is any relevance between the games and anime, but I just threw her in this story anyways. I crossed the lines, didn't I? -.-' *Hides behind a brick wall*

Sorry for the long note. I hope you liked the chapter, and the next will be published as soon as I can find the time and the right document it's saved under! Feedback would be loved, BTW~!


	5. Step Five: Revelations

A/N: I hope you're all ready for this. We've covered the first four steps of this romance. But now we're finally at the fifth and final. :) It's sort of sad, in a way, but I hope that this last chapter is good enough for you. It may not be as good as I wanted it to be, due to the fact that I had randomly written the ending before the beginning. Sigh. Stupid me is stupid...

I really like Palletshipping and it's my favorite GuyxGuy pairing in the Pokemon fandom. So, maybe I could write more about them in the future? After having written this entire story, I noticed how this was fun to write. And I hope that the theme behind it that I was trying to weave in about the whole idea of same sex relationships was noticeable. All of the stuff that was described; like about how "it shouldn't matter what what sex you are, as long as you truly love someone, that should not matter at all". Which are my actual opinions about it.

Wooow, I'm rambling once again. I am so sorry. -.- Please enjoy the story, and feedback would be loved!

_**And all I can taste is this moment  
>And all I can breathe is your life<br>'cause sooner or later it's over  
>I just don't want to miss you tonight<strong>_

_**And I don't want the world to see me  
>'cause I don't think that they'd understand<br>When everything's made to be broken  
>I just want you to know who I am...<strong>_

_**Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls **_**(Once again, couldn't make up my mind on what song to use here...if you squint, it is fitting)**

Disclaimer: By now, I hope it's obvious that I do not own Pokemon or it's characters. I wouldn't be sitting at the computer writing fanfiction if I owned it, now would I? *Sighs sadly*

_._

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_**~ Five Steps To Falling In Love ~**_

_**~ Step #5: Revelations ~**_

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"Misty...? What's going on?"

"Oh, Ash, I'm glad you answered quickly! I wanted to remind you that the school dance is tonight, and it'll be starting in just a few more hours!"

Ash merely stared blankly as he listened to Misty go on and on about the school dance. His mother, whom was still sitting on the edge of the bed and taking in all that he had just revealed to her previously, watched with a concerned look.

Why was Misty even reminding him about the school dance? He didn't feel like going at all, to be honest. The truth was that he had no one to even go with and at least have some company. His athletic friend had said that Brock was going to be taking Lucy, and she was going along with May and Dawn as a group. The person _he_ wanted to go with openly didn't think much of these kind of events and only would hang around to check out how it was going. This person was also the one whom he's been having struggles with.

Gary Oak.

But he couldn't go to the dance with another guy. At least, not without having every one staring at him and making him feel awkward and paranoid by it. Okay...Ash was not for sure about whether this would really happen or not. He was just stressed about it and wildly going to the worst case scenario admittedly.

He shouldn't go on a flight of fancy now. It would really take a lot of courage to be able to even _voice_ this question to his rival's face. And what if Gary didn't feel the same way and rejected him just like those giggly fangirls in the past, that timid blond-haired girl specifically. God, this was crazy.

"Ash, I think that maybe you should come along and just chill at least. Remember that not everyone there will be with a date." Misty hinted, trying not to sound obvious. Ash could make out something suspicious in her tone of voice though. "Hey, maybe even this mysterious person you like will be there without a date!"

Ash sighed. "The person I like wouldn't be there at all, Misty."

"And how do you know that? Ash, you should at least go down there and make sure. A school dance is the _perfect_ and _ideal_ setting for you to find the object of your affections and confess your feelings, believe me."

"Yeah, only in cliché romance novels. But this is reality."

"Ash, you're too stubborn! Damn it, what will it take for me to convince you that you should go to the dance and chance it?" Oh great, Misty was using her angry voice. She was probably giving that glare of hers as well. Ash knew she was now angry with his decision, but his decision was firm here.

Delia shook her head sadly as she listened to this exchange. She felt sorry for having to even hear it, as the two of them have developed a close friendship over the years. Misty no longer would yell and beat him if he said or did something wrong, and he didn't try to offend her. Friends like this shouldn't have to argue at all.

But, she noted inwardly while getting up carefully from the bed, things just haven't been the same since Ash realized that he was...well, not asexual like everyone assumed.

"Misty...nothing would convince me to go. I don't feel like seeing everyone having a good time with their dates, and I'm just all alone with all this stress..." Ash shook his head, annoyed with Misty's constant reasoning she was trying to do with him.

Finally, after about eleven seconds, his friend huffed loudly on the other line. "Listen to yourself! Ash, I'm really worried about you now; you aren't yourself lately and it's just...it's just not right."

She was right. Ash wasn't himself. He wasn't enthusiastic, bold, and full of energy anymore. Now, ever since that realization earlier that same day, he's been stripped of it all. The only thing left is a depressed and doubtful state. Fearing what might happen later if he doesn't or does do something with these strange feelings he realized he had.

It just felt like he was the only person in the entire world itself who was enduring this chaos. While other souls were totally oblivious and had great and problem-free lives. Ash didn't want to think this way though, that sure would be a sign of depression. Hopeless depression. Which was something he didn't want to slip into no matter _what_ the situation at hand be.

Now, it seemed like he was slipping and couldn't grab onto anything to pull himself back.

"I know I'm not." Ash admitted, glancing away. There was a long silence before he decided to continue the conversation. He didn't want Misty to worry, he just wanted her to go out and enjoy herself. "If I could just settle all of this once and for all, I would be back to normal."

"Ash, I think that telling this _certain someone_ your feelings is the only way for it to work. And what better way than I meet up with her...or him...at the dance? It would be very romantic and ideal, wouldn't it?"

The thought of meeting up with Gary at that dance...and confessing everything to his face. It really did seem ideal the more Ash considered it. He found himself slipping off into a flight of fancy, something of a dazed smile trying to make it's way onto his face. "Ash...?" Ash hadn't even realized Misty was still on the other line. "HELLO?"

"Oh! Sorry!" As hard as he tried, Ash couldn't get the stubborn blush to leave his cheeks. Though he was victorious with the smile at least. "I'm still here."

"It's fine. And, I take the silence as a sign you're considering this suggestion...?"

"Y-yes. I'll go." Ash replied, nodding. His mother, from the doorway, watched from afar with a relieved smile.

"Great! The dance will be starting soon, so just get ready and I'll see you there!" Misty must have ended the call on the other line. Ash no longer heard her, he heard nothing at all. So he removed the phone from his ear and placed it back over on the beside table.

He knew it was time for all of this drama to be settled in his life. The only way that would be was if he accepted it and confessed everything. He was clueless in the romance area, but he did know that a dance was an ideal place to meet up with a _certain someone_ and reveal your feelings. What could be better?

Somehow, Ash was a little bit doubtful nevertheless. He wasn't sure if Gary would even be at the dance. Did he have a reason to? If not, it was likely he would not be seen there at all. The guy always had to have a reason for being somewhere, a little quirk that Ash would still to this day never understand about him.

"So, you're going to the dance tonight?" Ash nearly jumped inches off the floor and turned to his mother in the doorway...smiling? How could she be smiling at all that she just overheard?

"Gary might be there." Ash replied quietly and in an unsure manner. "I need to chance it, so that I can be able to talk to him privately and...tell him everything that's going on."

"I understand, Ash."

Ash stared at her, surprised for a few moments. Honestly, he was taken aback by that one sentence. What did she mean by that? What did she understand? And yet, he still hadn't the slightest idea how she didn't react angrily or stunned when he confessed that he might be falling for another guy.

His head felt like it was spinning now. The world just didn't seem like it was in balance at all.

Delia giggled somewhat and came closer to him, putting a hand on her confused son's shoulder. "No need to look so surprised. I'm not against your decision at all."

Whoa...that was such a shock. Ash's eyes had widened at this, but he tried to remain calm about it. "You're OKAY with it, Mom? It's not a big deal if I may be developing feelings for Gary? I'm not gonna be sent to the dark streets?"

Delia frowned and shook her head. "I certainly would never send you to the streets because of something like this. And it doesn't matter to me whether you're romantically interested in girls or boys, hehe, just as long as my son finds _someone_ that he truly cares about." At this point, Ash and Delia were both smiling calmly. In all honesty, this may have been the first time Ash has smiled in hours.

The fact that Delia didn't care about his sexuality, that was an extreme relief for Ash. Her words greatly relieved a lot of stress that had built up on him. He no longer felt worried about his future. Having grown up with only Delia around, he really did love her. If she hadn't approved of this situation and disowned him...he would have been devastated.

Maybe there was some people in this world that weren't so judgmental about these kind of situations. This got Ash thinking...maybe Gary was secretly one of those people! Maybe, by some chance, he wouldn't reject him at all! Even if he did reject his feelings, a chance that he wouldn't do so in a heart-breaking manner _does exist_!

If so, then he would just have to take action and find out himself. Only Ash could do this, no one else could do it for him. Keeping this stored away in the back of his mind, a look of determination flashed through his dark brown eyes once again. Delia recognized this look very well, she was glad to see it once again.

"Mom...thanks." Delia smiled and ran her fingers affectionately through his hair. "I'm not going to just sit around here and waste time! I'm going to take action!"

"Good. I'll be rooting for you, honey."

_._

_._

_._

"Now, you can't tell anyone about this." Gary warned Daisy, his words very low and serious. It had actually intimidated the girl and she backed up into the doorway. But she understood his reasons for keeping the things he admitted to her a closely-guarded secret for now. "Everyone's always spreading rumors and exaggerating everything they hear. I don't want that to happen, at least not now before I can do something about these feelings."

"Why don't you just tell him how you feel?" Daisy pointed out, now smiling. She couldn't help but giggle a tiny bit as she watched her brother's cheeks begin to turn a bright pink shade. What was he so embarrassed about, anyway? This suggestion seemed pretty smart to her.

"Just get out, Daisy." Gary deadpanned, gesturing for her to leave. She had scowled at him, confused about why he didn't like her suggestion. But she obeyed anyway, turning on her heels and leaving the room; making sure to slam the door.

Well, that was so not needed at all. Talking to Daisy only made the tension Gary felt rise more and more. Now he begun to doubt that he made a good decision, considering that she was now pitching a fit and might go off and spread rumors out of spite. He sighed and sat down at his nearby desk. He still held the phone and just stared at the number he had brought up from the group of contacts.

Why was this so hard for him to do? Why couldn't he just get a surge of determination and call the damn number? He was just being too cautious and paranoid here, kind of like a girl, he noted miserably.

He soon found himself hearing some very loud ringing. Gary's eyes traveled down to the phone, widening in surprise. A part him was really hoping that whoever was calling him may be Ash. Hopefully it was! So that he could resolve all this drama between them at last! He was quick to answer the call and he put the phone to his ear.

Before he even had the chance to speak, a female voice started talking. Dammit, it wasn't Ash, obviously. "Hello? Gary?"

"MISTY?" Gary stared in confusion at nothing in particular, not knowing _why_ Misty was calling him. She hadn't ever done such a thing before, and he wasn't even sure if she ever got his number. "Why are you calling me? And, how did you get my...?"

"Oh, Ash gave it to me a while ago. But that isn't the point! I wanted to let you in on something, Gary."

"What is it?"

There was a short pause as Misty chuckled a little to herself, obviously amused greatly by something. "I don't mean to pry or anything, but I now know what's going on with you. You...you _don't_ view Ash as just a rival, correct?" Gary was too speechless to respond back, Misty sensing this, continued. "Not you don't view him as a good friend or brother. It's clear to me that you view him as...well...maybe a _boyfriend_."

Did...did Misty really just say that? Oh God, why did this have to get so much more complicated than resolved? Gary tried to not let his tone waver as he spoke back to her, plastering a careless look on his face and trying to fight back a deep blush on his cheeks. "I'm ending the call..."

"_WAIT!_"

"Ugh, what now? Look, I don't want to talk about this."

Misty sighed on the other line. She might have been looking irritated to death at this point, he assumed. "Gary, that's the problem. Listen to me: you and Ash have known each other forever. You started off as friends, but somehow became rivals. You've always been around each other nevertheless. And you need to get your freaking act together! Just admit that you've developed romantic feelings for him before it's too late!"

"I wish it was _that easy_, but it isn't!" Gary shouted into the phone, a wave of frustration coming over him. He realized momentarily and tried desperately to compose himself. It was hard though. "Even...even if I were to suck it up and admit to Ash that I've been harboring these feelings for him all these years but never revealed it for the sake of the rivalry, do you really think he would return them? Would he at least be mature about it? Nah, he wouldn't. He doesn't understand what love is, hell, he doesn't even understand regular emotions!"

"Sooooo...you're admitting that you do feel a spark of something for him?" Gary leaned over the desk and rested a hand over his forehead, feeling the heat creep it's way into his cheeks. "Hey, you don't know what he wouldn't return them. You have to look at it this way: it's a good fifty/fifty chance at stake. Which means that you do have fate on your side. Now...that being stated, don't you think that it's about time you told him how you really feel? Don't you want to have a happy ending?"

"I can't believe I'm even discussing this with you." Gary deadpanned. He shook his head and sat back up in the computer chair, resting a hand behind his head. "But, I guess," Just ignore the sudden heat, ignore the sudden heat. "A part of me wants to tell him. Keeping these feelings hidden away from the world is getting more stressful as each day passes, anyway. I won't be able to continue being cool and well-composed if I don't do anything."

If Gary could have seen Misty, she would be grinning so big that it would look impossible for her face to hold it. "Good choice, good choice! Now tonight's the school dance, remember? From my understanding, Ash is going this time. So you can meet up with him, get him somewhere quiet, and pour out your heart."

"I guess that sounds logical." Gary admitted, nodding. "That settles it, I'm going to risk everything and reveal to him how I feel. It doesn't matter whether Ash returns or rejects these feelings, I'll just have to live with it."

"Go get 'em!"

_._

_._

_._

For the next two hours, Ash and Gary prepared for the dance. During that time; both had showered, gotten dressed, and tried to plan out strategies of how they would be able to reveal their feelings for the other person.

Both were determined to succeed in their confessions. Regardless of what the answer they receive may be. At least they could look back in the future and know that they did the right thing. Bottling up one's innermost feelings only would lead to heartbreak, drama, misery, and a lot of other terrible things. And all those worst case scenarios that they stressed about would become a reality.

One thing that they feared the most was their peers' reaction to all of this. God knows how rough school and life in general would escalate to if everyone was against it and became unbearable and spread rumors bitterly behind their backs. Let's be honest here: that, sadly, was a likely outcome. Then, if the other person even returned his feelings, they wouldn't be able to be an open couple.

But, they just had to remain positive and let their burning determination rise. They couldn't let themselves get down, they were strong and they knew it. So, with that in mind, they both left their houses (but at different times) and went straight for their school.

_._

_._

_._

Ash was very thankful that he lived in such a small town and that there wasn't many traffic, he could easily walk to school without having to worry about that.

Once arriving at the school, he took a different direction around it where there was another entrance to the gym. It was around behind the building. Before extending his hand to reach for the handle, he stopped and took a deep breath to compose himself. He hadn't realized how nervous he was before. And now his heart was beginning to beat faster and he was sure he could even hear it on such a silent night like this.

He hated being nervous. Why couldn't he just get this over with? It shouldn't matter if his feelings get returned or rejected, at least he would get an answer and wouldn't have to go on worrying about what might happen in the future if he never tells Gary.

Despite this dance being a little bit of a special occasion, Ash didn't really bother to dress up in nice clothes. All he did was run a his fingers through his hair, put on some cologne, and he left on his plain white long-sleeved shirt underneath his dark blue jacket and dark blue slightly-baggy pants. He figured it shouldn't matter. The only reason he was here was because Misty was able to convince him that Gary might be here tonight, and that he should confess all the things he's come to the final conclusion with today; the feelings that he's had for him ever since they were just kids.

With a final sigh, Ash reached for the knob and entered the gym. He was met with a the sight of several students dancing or just sitting by the dancefloor chatting loudly over the music. There was a small stage and a random band was up there rocking out. By the dancefloor, there was a large table with all kinds of snacks and drinks assorted nicely. The atmosphere was nice, and he could just tell that it hadn't been going on too long. It must have just started because the song the random band was playing was just beginning an instrumental pause.

And he could make out a lot of his friends there, at least they were enjoying themselves it seemed. But no matter how hard he tried to look through the entire gym, he couldn't spot Gary anywhere. It was a little bit discouraging for him, but still walked around and tried to find any trace of him.

"Ash, you're here!" Called out Misty, Ash turned around in surprise and saw his best girl friend standing by the large table with snacks and whatnot on it. She was the only person there, and she was beckoning him to come over. He obeyed and made his way towards her through the crowd.

Now alone at the table, Ash and Misty greeted each other nonchalantly and then surveyed the scene of the gym before them. It hardly even looked like the same place after that stage having all the equipment placed on it and all the decorations and dim lights. The two fumbled for words inside their heads, unsure about how to start a conversation.

"So...uh...where's the girls at?" Ash randomly asked, turning to glance at Misty.

"Oh, May is somewhere in the crowd talking to that Drew guy. And Dawn left to go put on some more make-up in the bathroom." Misty replied, barely even caring about this topic. She, herself, was busy scouting the gym for any signs of Gary. She hadn't seen him come in yet, and she was a little bit concerned that he decided against showing his face here.

"Ash! Misty!" Hearing their names, Ash and Misty looked up from the gym floor and to see a tall, dark-skinned guy make his way towards them through the crowd. Small smiles formed on their lips.

"Hey Brock," Ash looked around in confusion. "Weren't you and Lucy going to be together tonight? I don't see her anywhere..."

"Lucy? I don't know where she is either." Brock confessed with a sigh, he ran his fingers through his spiked brown hair and could feel some stress come on as he tried to think about where his stoic date was. "I was going to try and kiss her tonight, but she dodged and said she had to go use the bathroom. I've been waiting back here for several minutes and asked one of the girls to go in there and look for her. They returned claiming she wasn't there."

"Maybe she dumped you for being too forward?" Misty offered with a teasing smirk tugging at her lips.

"Misty..."

"Okay, okay, relax Brock." The orange-haired girl came forward and pat his shoulder. "Don't let her retreating ruin your night. You can still dance, listen to some music, and just live a little." Misty nodded and then turned her head in Ash's direction. "Right Ash? Um, Ash...? What the hell are you...?"

It seemed like Ash was just staring aimlessly at the dance floor. Misty and Brock gave him concerned looks as he did this. But he did have a reason for suddenly dropping the conversation; he could have sworn that he saw a familiar flash of dark red hair, followed soon after by a familiar (admittedly cute) face.

But it was a brief sight. Before this person disappeared into the crowd. Ash released a sigh and then met his worried best friends' eyes. "Oh, sorry, I just thought that I saw _Gary_ of all people in the crowd at the stage."

Just those words alone brightened up Misty's night. Her spirits and determination uplifted, she strained her eyes to look through the crowd and inwardly noted that it _was_ Gary! Perfect! She clasped her hands together and smirked wickedly.

But this would be hard. She couldn't just let Ash know that she was aware of his feelings for his assumed rival, and she couldn't make of aware that she knew Gary felt the same for him and coaxed him into coming here tonight to confess. From now on, she would have to be very sneaky and cautious. But she was sure she could handle it.

"Why would Gary even be here tonight?" Brock pointed out, chuckling a little at the mere thought. Misty couldn't hold back the urge to give him an evil glare for that comment.

Ash shook his head. "I don't know. But I have to talk to him tonight, there's something going on that he needs to know about." He just wasn't sure how he would be able to get Gary to a quiet corner of the gym to himself to even confess. Since he was positive that his several fangirls would soon have to spot him and prepare to go crazy as usual.

God, this was going to be more challenging than he envisioned...

_._

_._

_._

Truth be told, Gary was only even here at this dance just because of Misty's persuasions. Deep down, he knew that it was about time he told Ash how he really felt. That he has had this growing crush on him for a while and regretted always denying it existed, couldn't stamp out the constant thoughts about how cute he looked and would let his wind wander into provocative daydreams, and that he just wanted their relationship to go higher than that of a rivalry or friendship despite what others may think.

But he wasn't good with dealing with emotions. Never would be, he assumed now at this point. Since he sucked at expressing emotions and feelings and whatnot, he wasn't too sure he could handle this. But he was willing to suck up his fears and risk everything. Tonight, Ash would know the truth. And it doesn't matter whether he returns his feelings for not. Gary could one day look back on this whole predicament and it would be safe to say he was remarkable with handling it.

Dances weren't really Gary's thing though. He openly saw no reason for them to even exist, but Misty seemed sure that this was a good setting for him to reveal how he felt. Maybe she was correct in the long-run: admittedly, it didn't seem good enough to just do something like tell Ash his feelings through a _phone call_ or _text_. Having some guts and saying it to his face, now that did seem fitting.

He entered the school just when the random band on the stage announced that it was time for the evening to begin. His hair barely even messed with it all, staying in it's usual style. All he did was just shower and through on a jacket over his clothes and some sneakers. He didn't give a damn if he looked out of place, waiting for his rival to maybe show up tonight was all that he was here for.

So he stood against a wall watching the doors like a hawk for a few moments. He had checked the time with his cellphone after several minutes, sighing in frustration. Usually, Gary just didn't have much patience when he needed to. He had seen some familiar faces like Misty, Brock, Lucy, Tracey, Dawn, May, and several other students pile into the gym. But not Ketchum.

Then, finally, he saw him come in. At least he was dressed rather simply too, Gary didn't feel too out of place then after noticing. Some heat rushed into his cheeks though, when he realized that he had a good opportunity to talk to him.

But then Misty called out to him and he went over to talk to her.

Now here he was making his way back through the crowd to get back to his corner. It wasn't like Gary was jealous or anything. Ash has been friends with Misty for all these years but never shows any special interest in her, so that's a good sign. But he just wanted to get this over with. This entire predicament was so embarrassing anyway.

After all, Gary didn't bother to even come down here just to have some fun. It was only for Ash. Though, he had to silently admit that this place was pretty cool. And the music was good and heavy. He slipped out from the corner when he caught sight of Ash walking away from the table. Perfect.

"_Now,_" Gary sighed and inwardly prepared himself as he dodged all the dancing people and made his way over to his rival. "_Just calm down, Gary. You can do this. All you have to is nonchalantly start a conversation with him, just don't sound like you don't wanna be here or cocky. Then everything should be fine..._"

_._

_._

_._

Ash and Gary hadn't even noticed that the farther they continued walking, the more they closed the distance between them. They got closer and closer without even being aware of it, until they were standing in the middle of the room barely a few feet from each other.

Due to being lost in their thoughts they hadn't even realized. And once snapping back into the reality they looked at each other in surprise. Well, Ash was far more surprised; he didn't expect his assumed rival to even _be_ here tonight and found himself at loss of words.

"Oh, Ash, you actually came here tonight..." Gary was just so confused right now inwardly, he couldn't think of a goof way to dwell into conversation. Usually, when push comes to shove, he can do it. But not this time, it was as if he was at a loss of words just like Ash was obviously.

Ash swallowed and tried to not seem as nervous as he felt. He nodded and crossed his arms. "Yes...Misty, she persuaded me to come here tonight."

"Is it because you want to meet up with this person you're falling for?" Gary wanted to fucking slap himself for saying that. In fact, he mentally did it. He couldn't stop the words from passing his tongue, he was just too curious about this subject that he heard from Misty.

The heat was just radiating off of Ash's entire face, having sneaked up from his neck to even the tips of his ears. He wanted to think it was out of just surprise and being highly annoyed, but he knew somewhere that it wasn't. He backed up a little and tried to play his embarrassment off with a very fake, nervous laugh. "W-where did you hear that?" He had spat this out sounding totally caught off guard and stunned as hell, so Ash quickly added, "Not that I'm _shocked_ or anything, it's just that I...I thought Misty was going to keep her mouth shut about it..."

Well, they were actually getting _somewhere_ at least with the conversation. Having been around Ash for years, Gary could read him well. Judging by the way he was freaking out, he obviously didn't want anyone to know that he was suddenly realizing he wasn't asexual like everyone assumed before. He could just come clean here and admit that Misty only told him about it, and that he was genuinely curious about who she/he is.

"**No way, you can't say that. If you do that, knowing Ketchum, he'd probably get the words all twisted and think you're just butting into his life. Then; there's no way he'd return your feelings!**" A voice snapped eternally somewhere in Gary's head. He didn't like where this was going, not at all.

"_But you SHOULD just come completely clean about it. Ash may understand in the end. Thinking that you care. And if he thinks that you care, that means he will be less hesitant to admit he feels the same way..._" A second voice spoke, Gary had sighed deeply at this, the words and this suggestion sounding really reassuring the more he thought about it.

"**Do you want him to return your feelings or not? Don't tell him the truth!**"

"_Just let the truth come out, Gary. For once in your life._"

Second voice emerges victorious. Gary stepped forward and tried to calm Ash down, saying, "Look, Misty only told me about it! And...I guess that's a good thing...because-"

Ash seemed to be calm now. But the stubborn blush wouldn't leave his cheeks, he crossed his arms angrily and turned to look at nothing in particular. "It's not a good thing, okay? I don't want anyone to know about this...they wouldn't understand it at all and I just..."

Sighing, Gary's annoyed look shattered and he glanced down at his feet as he crossed his arms. "I would understand." It didn't even take seconds for Ash to turn around quickly and stare at Gary in surprise by what he just mumbled. Selective hearing really does come in handy, does it not?

"What?"

"Huh?"

"What did you just say, Gary? How would you understand?" Ash was sounding extremely desperate to know the answer, more so than he wanted to be. But that couldn't he helped at this point. He was so close to getting his rival to crack at this point.

By this point, the music had switched to a little bit of a slower song. Actually, it helped making the mood even more awkward than it was. With the dimmed lights and two guys standing right underneath the only ones overhead trying to avoid the others' gaze, it couldn't have been any more awkward. Some other students of the school has noticed them and were watching with perplexed expressions; 'cause they were aware these two were supposed to be rivals.

Mostly, Misty and Gary's several fangirls were the ones showing the most reaction. The orange-haired tomboy still stood by the food table with May and Dawn chugging down the strangely-addictive punch and looking on with a devious grin. The the group of desperate girls were looking just plain pissed off and trying to resist the urge to go over there and brutally maim Ash.

"Uh...just forget it..." Dammit, he lost the nerve to continue talking. Gary just wanted to beat himself up now for this. He turned and left the gym through the door that led into the school hallway.

Meanwhile, Ash just stood there rooted to the original spot. His expression mixed with extreme confusion, irritation, and melancholy. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with his rival tonight, but he wanted to just get this all over with.

Ash turned to look at everyone that was staring curiously at him. A slight blush dusted across his cheeks and just ignored them as he made his way back over to that table to get something to drink. After having his mouth become dry and twisted after trying to build up the courage to even talk to Gary.

Misty pushed her way back through the crowd as they went back to either dancing or chatting. She furrowed her brows together and took one concerned look back at Ash before collecting herself and marching out the gym after Gary. Hey, matchmakers can't just give up easily. Besides, she was quite a stubborn girl most of the time.

_._

_._

_._

Luckily for Gary, the guy's bathroom was totally empty. He entered and kicked the door closed behind him with a foot. He didn't care how loudly he had done this, he had to take out his frustration at something eventually after all.

He walked over to a corner of the bathroom and slumped against the wall, falling down to something of a fetal position wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his head on them. A depressed sigh passed his lips and he questioned himself...why he had even bothered to do this.

Oh wait. It was because of Ash, duh. Gary lifted his head and rested it against the wall, closing his eyes and allowing a fond _tiny_ bit of a smile to appear on his lips. Ash was just so...well, yeah, he could be a bit of an idiot and never realizing he would say or do something awkward. But he usually had so much determination and seemed full of energy. He wouldn't back down from anything and was willing to do practically anything at all for the people he cares about. Not to mention he wasn't bad looking now with those straight and flat jet-black locks reaching down his neck and hanging over his chocolate brown eyes. And yet he still remained looking just as childish as ever.

Keeping all of this in mind, Gary only felt the stress resting on his shoulders worsen. He so badly wanted to tell Ash that he wanted to be more than just rivals or even friends. And he didn't give a damn about what other people thought about him liking a guy in that kind of manner, just as long as Ash could be his. Then his world would be in harmony.

Only problem is that he wasn't good with expressing emotions and innermost feelings at all. He never bothered doing that because he wanted to look all cool and uncaring in front of everyone. Which brings him to where is now. As much as he didn't want to admit it, nervous about how to let Ash know about this.

A pissed female voice suddenly brought him from these thoughts though. "Gary! What the hell are you doing in here of all places?" Wait a second, he recognized that voice! It was...Misty?

Gary opened his eyes and stared in surprise to see Misty slam the door behind her and step in wit her arms crossed. She was giving him that evil little glare she usually reserved for the moments when she was so angry that she could see nothing but red. "I was just about to ask the same question."

"I came here to knock some sense into you, that's all." Misty explained, heaving a long sigh. She shifted her weight on each foot as he got up from the tiled flooring of the bathroom. "You shouldn't have mentioned that you knew Ash realized he actually does have a sexuality unlike like what we all thought. What where you thinking? You ruined a good way to dwell into conversation and admit how you feel."

"Hey, I know that!" Gary snapped, now turning the tables and giving her a glare. Her pissed look had melted into a concerned one, and Gary noticed this quickly and tried to calm down. This time, he hadn't meant to lash out like that. "It was the first thought that came to mind and I just...I had to be so fucking stupid and actually voice it I guess! I couldn't stop myself..."

"Well," Misty tapped a finger to her chin in deep thought. "I'm sure that Ash will be able to easily forgive you. And if you're wondering why, let's just say that it's a vibe I'm picking up in the air. Let me try and think about a way to get you and him together again, just the two of you in a corner-"

"No Misty, just stop." Shock went throughout Misty's body and she stared with widened eyes as if Gary had just announced the end of the world. He crossed his arms and averted his hazy gaze to the flooring. Unable to meet her eyes. "I may just go back home. I don't want to give up so soon, but it's obvious I just can't confess I have feelings for him without so many screw-ups."

No, no way would Misty just call off the plan! She knew that these two really had feelings for each other and very much needed to know how the other felt! If she just dropped everything without a second thought, it would come back in the near future to haunt the three of them and she would never forget her failure. There was something about failing to do a certain goal for task that just burnt her up... "You can't give up that easily, Gary! You usually are so full of confidence in your own abilities and soaring determination! Now, where are these things when you need them the most?" She brushed back her stray strands of hair from her eyes and shook her head slowly and solemnly. "Besides, somehow Ash will find out about your harbored feelings one day. Maybe, maybe I would tell him out of spite but then twist the story and make him sad and angry and never want to see you again. Would you like that?"

Knowing Misty, she would probably bring herself to do such a thing if Gary didn't decide to tell Ash himself. Somehow she would, though it would no doubt kill her inside to do so. He stood there leaning against the wall with his hands stuffed in his pockets, the room silent except for their audible breathing.

"Gary," Misty growled, taking a step closer threateningly. Promptly, she froze in her tracks when Gary raised a hand to put her to a halt.

"Just go back with your friends and have fun."

"I won't be able to have fun with the thought of Ash being miserable in the back of my mind making me guilty! You've no idea how badly he's taking all of this, Gary! He just isn't the same person, and it just isn't right at all!"

Well, that didn't make Gary feel any worse than he did now. He looked over at Misty in brief surprise, but he contained himself and lowered his gaze to his feet. Reality hitting him like a train wreck. "There's no reason for him to be miserable. He isn't the one that _knew_ he had feelings for his rival, but kept being such a damn coward and stayed quiet about it all this time."

That was it. Misty wanted to just scream her lungs out. But she resisted that want, yet her whole body twitched as she came closer to Gary and grabbed his shoulders. "Listen!" Shouted Misty, no longer holding back her soaring frustration at his attitude. "I didn't want to let this out so soon, I wanted it to be a pleasant surprise for you, but I can't take dealing with this anymore! Gary. Ash realized this morning that he _likes_ you, dammit! He probably has all this time but just didn't realize until now when the feelings developed more and more and blossomed into _love_ practically! He hasn't told you, and this is my theory of why that is, because he's paranoid about what other people will think about him being gay! He just doesn't want everyone to see him as a different creature just because of his sexuality!"

Misty was panting by the time she finished her rant. She was surprised at herself for saying all of this and revealing it. Was she betraying one of her best guy friends' trust? No, no maybe she wasn't. Because this would help in the long-run. Gary needed to know this sooner or later. And it's always better to get things over with than to bite your tongue and hold the truth back just because of your own fears.

At hearing all of what Misty just announced, Gary's mind was in a state of utter chaos. With several emotions racing through and a shock going throughout him. He hadn't even guessed that Ash felt the same way, he knew better than to foolishly daydream and let his imagination get the best of him. The fact that he returned his feelings but just couldn't bring himself to admit it willingly due to prejudice...he could not describe this feeling. But it felt great. His thumping heart just wouldn't be soothed and the dark blush that had exploded over his face wouldn't wear away even after a certain amount of slow seconds went by.

He was just relieved to know that Ash felt the same way. Okay, yes, he understood why Ash was trying to remain in the closest. This town wasn't exactly known well for accepting gays with open arms, that was for sure. And a lot of the students at this school found the whole concept of these people disgusting and wrong. The last time someone, whom was a young teenage girl, had come out about her sexuality and was tired of keeping it hidden, she was talked about behind her back for the rest of the school year. Mostly everyone would give her the cold shoulder and frequently taunt her about it. Gary hadn't really heard from said girl ever again. Apparently from what he was told, she was so broken by their attitude towards her that she had begged her parents to allow her to transfer to a completely different school.

Apparently, Ash didn't want this to happen to him. Gary wasn't at all offended by this, because he understood how he must have felt right now. And this must be why...he was so wary about anyone finding about this person he was falling for.

"Oh man," Gary grabbed Misty's hands and put them back to her sides. She backed away to give him some much-needed space and he sighed deeply and rested his head against the wall again. "Now I have to find some kind of way to tell him how I feel. If he's really that sensitive about anyone finding out he has romantic feelings for me, then, I can't confess to him right in the middle of the gym where anyone could hear and see."

Smiling a little bit, Misty nodded in agreement. "Then, maybe you should get him in a nice and quiet corner to confess."

"That's a good idea. Thanks."

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"Brock! Don't drink that punch!" Dawn practically screeched as she run up to Brock and grabbed his hand to stop him from sipping the punch. He had stared at her in surprise for doing this, not realizing what he had been about to do.

"Dawn, what are you talking about?" Brock gasped, pulling his hand away and holding the cup of punch. It seemed like she had just lost her sanity or something, having just randomly ran up and stopped him from getting something to quench his thirst while he causally stood around and admired the good music.

The blue-haired girl just collected herself and tried to regain her breath. Brock couldn't help but notice that she didn't look bad at all tonight; wearing a knee-length long-sleeved black dress that flared out nicely around her frame with black flats. And her hair pulled back in a long ponytail. But this was a quick thought as she suddenly grabbed his cup of punch and chucked it a a good distance away from them at the wall. "Brock, I-I had noticed one of the guys sneaking over to the food spread and spike the punch with some kind of alcohol. But I didn't get a good look at his face or the bottle. He had done it so fast and obviously was trying to cause trouble. Ugh, I hate when this happens!"

Brock just stared at her in surprise. But he didn't know why he was doing this. It was only typical that _someone_ would have to spike the punch at an event like this. And due to the punch's color and taste, plus this dim lighting it would be difficult to even notice the difference! He was glad that she had warned him when she did, he personally didn't have an interest in drinking. And certainly didn't want to become a hopelessly-addicted alcoholic in the future!

"Has anyone else drank any of the spiked punch?"

"Yeah, including _Ash_!" Dawn turned and thrust a finger at the large table across the gym; with Ash barely standing up on his own two feet and quickly chugging down glasses of the spiked beverage like there was no tomorrow. And Brock could feel an intense headache coming on now.

If Ash was drinking spiked punch, this could be really bad...

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Gary and Misty both peeked through the open doors that led into the gym. They hadn't been gone for too long, only a few minutes. And everyone was still either dancing or talking over the loud music blasting throughout. Their eyes intensely scanned the room in search of any sign of Ash.

While carefully looking for Ash, Gary was just lost in his own thoughts. He noted that he still felt that same wonderful relief and thrill that he had gotten earlier at hearing that Ash actually felt the same way about him. And he was positive that Misty was telling the truth, he had looked into her eyes and saw a serious glimmer in them. But this wasn't enough. He yearned to hear Ash admit this to his face himself, and then he could hold his slim frame closely and just kiss his inviting lips as his clueless rival becomes delighted by the gesture and returns the kiss with equal passion-

"There's Ash! He's over at the table drinking some punch," Misty smiled and looked on at Gary with an approving look in her eyes. "All you have to do is go talk to him like you normally would. And then I suggest bringing up your relationship. When he questions why you did, 'cause we all know he will, you bring him to a quiet corner and go for the confession."

For some strange reason, Gary felt a little nervous. He hated it. This was was not like him at all. But he sucked it up and breathed try and calm himself. He was aware of Ash's feelings, and no longer had to worry about being rejected. There was no obstacle standing in his way, so why did he his muscles feel a little shaky and he couldn't budge from this spot he was rooted to? Misty must have noticed this, her eyebrows knitted together and she reached for and gave a sharp shove against his shoulders. Which pushed him forward a little ways.

And now, turning back to look at Misty, Gary gave her an annoyed blank look. She just mouthed 'good luck' and then turned on heels and went back down the halls for some reason.

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Since Misty left him alone, and she wanted him to get his act together and just tell the guy how he truly felt, Gary sighed deeply and composed himself. Although there was no reason to. He just naturally looked so calmed and cool all the time that his real feelings never were apparent compared to some people.

His eyes were locked on the table that Ash was standing at clumsily. And, finally releasing his fingers from the edge of the doorframe, push came to shove and Gary managed to make his way over to him from the large crowd of students gathering to the dance floor since a romantic, slow song filled the gym with it's harmony.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm trying to get someone. Move."

"Ow! You bumped my ribs, man!"

"I don't care."

With a final push through the crowd, Gary arrived at the table and started breathing audibly and holding onto the table. That was much together than he had assumed it would be. Must have miscalculated the situation. But whatever, all his exhaustion was entirely forgotten when he looked up and noticed his secret crush standing mere inches away and obliviously chugging down some of the punch.

Gary would have to later remember to thank Misty properly. But right now in the present time, he composed himself and decided to be casual about this. He couldn't risk having Ash be aware he was nervous about how to handle this. "Ash, I have to talk to you about something important. Can you listen a minute?" Ash apparently was barely even in reality itself. Oddly, he was struggling to stand and was chuckling for no particular reason as he waved the cup of punch in the air and sloshed it around. "Um, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothin's wrong!" Ash insisted through his chuckles, the words really slurring badly. He stumbled forward and caught himself shakily before he fell. Gary just raised a brow, doubting him. "Heehee~ I'm feeling do much better about my problems than wh-what I've been earlier!"

Gary glanced back at the couples on the dance floor self-consciously, relieved to see that they were not aware of the impending mayhem that was going on with them. Ash just didn't seem like himself at all; his cheeks were flushed and he looked as if he was high as a kite. Not to mention the clumsy movements.

"That's not good..." Gary murmured somberly, looking back at Ash and closely examining his off movements. Something just wasn't right here, and he had a feeling about what it might be.

Ash took one last huge swig of the cup and threw it behind him, beaming impossibly. "Noooo, it's awesome! I don't know what the hell was in that stuff, but it's REALLY taking my mind of everything~! Gary~ you look so cute tonight!" Promptly, in a bubbly manner, Ash lunged forward and attacked Gary in a hug, burying his head in the crook of his neck and wrapping his arms around his back.

This action severely caught Gary off-guard, he hadn't anticipated that Ash would just randomly hug him like that. It wasn't in his character to unless he was just plain happy. But this seemed off somehow. Either way, Gary just stood there in shock with slightly-widening eyes. God knows he was liking the touch and wanted this to never end, but it felt awkward somehow being out in front of everyone like this.

Wait a minute. The gears started rolling and Gary came to a conclusion about why Ash seemed so unlike himself and impulsive at the moment. Reluctantly, he pushed his rival away from him and he stumbled back in shock.

"Ash, how much of that 'punch' have you been drinking?" Gary suddenly questioned him, reaching forward and grabbing his shoulders. Ash just kind of stared stupidly for several seconds and seemed to be off in space.

"Ummmm...uhhhh...I guess about _eleven-somethin'_..." Gary could feel an intense headache pounding now. He released Ash and went over to the so-called punch and looked at it suspiciously with his rival curiously looking over his shoulder. "What are 'ya doing...?"

"I'm checking this so-called 'punch'." Responded Gary matter-of-factly. Looking into the dark red punch, it didn't look suspicious at all. But when he leaned over and got a whiff of something pretty strong that shouldn't have been in there at all, he immediately got back up and stared at Ash in surprise. "You're _drunk_! Someone must have spiked this punch while I was gone..."

Ash didn't even understand what was going on. His vision was blurring and his throat was burning from all that he had chugged down and he felt like he would collapse. But other than this side-effect, his mind was just noting that he felt awesome and totally free of his problems centering around falling for his ex-friend turned rival.

Gary held his head and sighed, he really didn't need this right now. After recovering from the realization of what was going on tonight of all nights, he reached for Ash's wrist and begun to lead him away from the source of his un-needed stress. "Come on, we're going home."

Ash's mind was just so cloudy right now and he totally misinterpreted those words. He stared at Gary with widened eyes, yet followed him shakily. "We're going home together? Heehee~ aren't 'ya being a little forward?"

A deep blush rose into Gary's cheeks, yet he glared anyway and just pulled him along. "Shut up, it isn't like that at all! I just don't want you to get into any trouble since it's so damn obvious you've never drank anything alcoholic before..."

At least no one seemed to notice the little scene, Gary was thankful for that. But yet, he still couldn't stamp out the embarrassment that he felt from all of this. It was not because of Ash's drunken actions and it wasn't because holding onto his wrist felt really awkwardly comfortable. It was because of his implications and misinterpretations of the situation.

He cared about Ash's condition, okay? And he couldn't just leave him here totally wasted. He hadn't ever drank before and probably didn't even know his own identity at the moment, anyway. Ugh, this whole situation was extremely frustrating! And now there was no way that he could confess how he truly felt about him!

Well, getting Ash somewhere safe and sound was his goal. He knew he couldn't possibly bring Ash hack to his own house; is mother would kill him if she found out that he had clueless-ly drank some spiked punch and got drunk. She may overreact to the idea that someone in the school would pull such a stunt. So, he decided to take Ash to his home next door instead. Just watch him for a while and make sure he was okay. Because his mom and sister were both out right now and would be for the rest of the night he guessed.

"Stop dragging me~!" Ash whined, wriggling his hand underneath the rough grip Gary held it in.

"Ash, just be quiet until we get back to my place! See, this is why I never bother drinking anything at parties and events like this!"

It was a little hard to get Ash to calm down, but Gary managed to drag him out of the gym and outside. Once closing the doors behind them, Gary sighed and looked up at the dark, starry sky overhead.

Then he glanced at Ash and a tiny hint of a smile graced his lips. Ash just looked so goddamn cute especially underneath this light. He almost forgot that he had been in the middle of trying to get him to come to his senses and follow him to his house. And even when Ash bubbly mentioned that he was surprised a guy would actually take him home, he resisted the urge to facepalm.

Why did this little plan have to go wrong? Why?

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Their walk to Gary's home was uneventful, clumsy, and shockingly silent. After having Ash stumble and fall to his knees, Gary had pulled him up and tried to reason with him; allowing him in the end to rest his weakened body against his own and relax his head on his shoulder to prop himself up. And Gary had kept his arms locked around his waist for support.

As awkward as it had been, neither wanted to let go once the walk was over. It seemed like it went by all too fast. But Gary had been alert to this thought and tried to correct himself and let go of Ash by the time they made it inside the house.

As many times as Ash had been in this house, he couldn't help but obliviously scan the décor of it. It was a pretty nice place with about two floors. And though his vision was weakening more and more, he admired the appearance closely.

"Okay, now just sit here for a minute." Gary instructed Ash as he dropped him off on the living room couch. Ash was now feeling so horrible and drained, contrasting greatly from earlier when he was feeling great and weightless. He groaned and fell onto his side and buried his face in the pillow. "Yeah, it doesn't feel good at all, does it? Maybe next time you'll learn to examine the drinks closely and stop once it starts tasting very different." As much as Gary wanted to be irritated by Ash's lack of suspicions with the punch, he couldn't bring himself to even be. His worry taking over and his words not sounding as harsh as they had been intended.

But at least Ash was beginning to come back to his senses. That was what mattered. Gary turned to leave the room when his rival's pained voice spoke up and made him stop in his tracks.

"Gaaaary...get me some medicine or something to knock me out cold..." Ash whined, his words were somewhat muffled by the pillow. And Gary shook his head and leaned in the doorway.

"Sorry, there's nothing that can help this. You're just going to have to bear with it until the affects wear away." He got a very depressed moan in response to this. Gary rolled his eyes and then walked over, taking a seat on the couch beside him and grabbing the pillow and putting it back where it bad been. Ash just looked up at him with a look of pure melancholy. It was so not like him, and it nearly smashed his heart to have to see that. "But you'll be okay. You're stronger than what you look."

"I feel like crap..." Ash rolled on his back and hadn't even noticed that his head was now propped up against Gary's thigh, whom had felt his face begin to warm rapidly at this.

Seconds slowly ticked by. At least, they were slow for Gary. He sighed and then lowered his hand to Ash's forehead and brushed through his tousled black bangs, nearly tickling him in the process. He just couldn't stand to see Ash whom was usually always so upbeat and enthusiastic so...down like this. But he could blame whatever asshole that decided to spike the drink for that.

Since Ash was slowly and surely coming back to reality, he was aware of the rather intimate position the two were rested in. A blush stained his cheeks and he tried to hide this from his view by holding his head in his hands. Why did the night have to turn out like this? Why did he have to be stupid and drink that punch even though it tasted very strange and burnt up his throat? Now his muscles felt stiff and sore, his head was throbbing the the room was spinning, his throat was burning with the aftertaste of the alcohol and he felt like he would puke any time soon.

But the effects of the alcohol wasn't as bad as the stress of being so close to Gary like he was right now and had wanted to be for a while, but was too nervous to try and dwell into conversation and tell him how he felt.

Somehow, the two of them made eye contact. Gary had looked down and Ash was looking up. It seemed at that point that it would have been a good moment to say something, or at least steal a kiss. 'Cause they both did silently admit, the others' lips did look inviting. But before any words or actions could be said or accomplished, Ash suddenly started gagging loudly, his eyes widened and he found the strength to back away from Gary and sit up with his hands clasped over his throat.

Startled, Gary inched away and stared. "What the hell is wrong with you now?"

Ash didn't get to say anything – he just started gagging and choking almost along with it. And realization quickly hit Gary, he dove off the couch and to his feet.

"Shit...!"

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"I'm...I'm sorry for this..." Ash weakly mentioned through the door, he didn't get to say anything else before he started gagging once again and he went right back to emptying the entire contents of his stomach.  
>"It's fine, I can always clean it up afterward." Gary replied, leaning against the bathroom door on the side. For him, to take out his worry, it was either this or pacing. And he did. Not. Pace. Okay? When the disgusting noises coming from the room ceased and the flush of the toilet could be heard, he sighed quietly. "You done yet?"<p>

"Maybe," Another gagging fit made Ash's reply die on his lips and he went back to throwing up the spiked punch, and pretty much everything he had eaten that day. And maybe even everything he had eaten that _year_ it felt like.

"Damn," Gary walked away from the door and crossed his arms, now walking along the hall and back and forth. Which he refused to call worried pacing. In all honesty: he was worried, it was just impossible for that to be shown outwardly.

"God, someone kill me...!" And there was more moans and groans of agony coming from the bathroom. Gary's walking back and forth ceased and he pressed a hand against his mouth to stifle a small chuckle. It's not like he was sadistic, it was just that Ash was being far too dramatic than what he should be. He was honestly surprised that the guy was still even able to talk at all. "I think I'm done now. What should I do?"

"Well, you should just wash your mouth and hands – if they got some of the mess on them. And maybe you should drink some water to get the taste out." Gary pulled out his phone and glanced at the time; it was close to ten at this point. His mother was probably worried about him, he guessed.

Hmm. While Ash was cleaning up himself in there, Gary went to his room and got some of his clothes and called up Mrs. Ketchum to inform her about where her son was. He didn't know why he was aiding him like this...

And yet, deep down he was positive of what the real reason was. Which made him almost smile. Almost.

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Roughly and carelessly, the door to the bathroom was flung open and Ash stumbled out, hands and mouth dripping wet from where they had been washed. He was no longer totally wasted and his awareness of reality had returned. He considered taking a shower but knew he wouldn't have the energy to step inside, let alone remove his clothes in this shape he was in.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, he fully realized what was going on. Obviously, Gary must have found him when he was drinking the spiked punch and decided to make sure he was safe and didn't get into any chaos. He must have brought him here to his own place because it was empty and that he was aware that his mother would go crazy if she found out he had been drinking even if he didn't know he was.

It felt...nice knowing that Gary had actually done all of this. But he couldn't stop his curiosity from getting the better of him. Why _did _his rival go through all this trouble to help him? Why was he so concerned about him? It was possible that he had just taken pity on him. Or he could be trying to make Ash understand that he wants to them to start over fresh and be friends. Or...perhaps...by some insane and improbable chance...he was being so supportive because he had romantic feelings for him as well.

"_Whatever the reason is_," Ash wiped his wet hands on his shirt and tried to walk down the hall. He ended up stumbling, and reached for the wall to hold himself up. A sigh of dismay passed his lips afterward. "_I just have to throw caution to the wind and ask. And when he gives me his answer, this could my chance...to..._" The flat corners of the confused teenager's lips tried to twist into a smile, but he stopped it. Yet he couldn't fight back the faint pick blush growing on his cheeks. "_my chance to finally tell him how I feel. Even if it's a little embarrassing to admit._"

However. Before Ash could make his way down the hall, Gary met him halfway with some clothes tucked underneath his arm. They greeted each other casually. But Gary somehow just couldn't comment that he was glad to see he was alright now. Which killed him to think about it, he wanted Ash to know he actually did care even though he had difficulties in expressing it.

There was an uncomfortable short silence before Ash took notice to the clothes that Gary held underneath his arm. He curiously pointed at them. "So why are you carrying those clothes?"

"Hey, it's not a good idea if you go back to your place weak and miserable from this hangover. So I figured you could stay here just for the night, since my mom and sister are going to be gone for the weekend anyway. These clothes should fit you; they were just some of mine that I barely wear anymore, only to sleep in sometimes." Ash blinked and accepted the clothes from Gary. Which was just a pale blue t-shirt and some very dark blue lounging pants. "Oh, and don't worry about your mom. I called her and got everything covered with a little white lie. She's convinced that you had suddenly fallen sick at the dance from all the stress weighing on your shoulders."

Wow, Gary must really be worried about him to go through with all of that. And the thought of this made Ash's heart flutter a little, he closed his eyes and smiled one of his usual genuine smiles that made Gary's own heart skip a beat when he looked at it. In fact, at seeing this, Gary glanced away and scratched the back of his head out of embarrassment.

"What are you smiling about? Don't get any wrong ideas, I mean," Gary's sentence was cut off by himself when he turned back around to see that Ash was innocently beginning to lift his shirt up over his head and his belt was unbuckled, leaving his pants barely hanging there. Heat rushed into his cheeks and he started stammering before finding the right words and shouting, "Wait! Don't just strip right in the middle of the hallway...!"

_**~ End of Chapter ~**_

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Yes, I know that this chapter ending kind of rushed. That's because, even though there has technically been five chapters as I said before, le gasp, it's not over quite yet! After this chapter will be the epilogue; which will be the actual finale. ^^ I had at first intended for this chapter to wrap everything up, but the epilogue just kind of came to me in a dream and I decided to use it. So sorry for any confusion there might have been!

I hope you've liked the story so far. I was kind of doubtful about it because I've never written a Palletshipping story before (which makes me fall into a state of depression in the Corner of Woe to admit that). And I was just worried is all. But now, by this point, and after reading encouraging reviews, I feel a little less paranoid. In fact, and I'm crossing my fingers here, maybe I might be able to write some more Palletshipping fanfics in the future. But only time will tell.

In case you're wondering about why this chapter kind of switched over to Gary's thoughts frequently, that's because this chapter had been written first before all of the others. And at the time, I had considered making this story revolve around his thoughts of the situation. But unpredictable me was unpredictable and changed her mind. Which I find myself doing way too often...

Read and review, they're greatly appreciated! :]


	6. Epilogue

A/N: Despite leaving you hanging on the edge of a cliff the previous chapter, I finally finished the epilogue to Five Steps To Falling In Love! So here it is, the finale of it. It's highly necessary because it will determine whether or not Ash and Gary will get together officially, or if their own fears and prejudice stops them from actually coming out with it. I'm sure you're ready to find out the truth, aren't you? Then let's end this stupid note and go!

Please sit a good distance away from the computer and keep the lights off. Any kind of emotions that you experience while reading is a good sign and should not come off as strange. And in the event you feel the story was not satisfying in the end, you may argue all you want in your review if you must be that drastic.

Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, Palletshipping would be freaking CANON.

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_**~ Five Steps To Falling In Love ~**_

_**~ Epilogue ~**_

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Now maybe things would just calm down a little and maybe he could find some kind of way to get into a deep conversation with his rival and get him to admit that he was falling for him. And that he had been doing so for years in return.

But things were never simple for Gary. It always seemed like the worst kinds of things occurred whenever he really wanted something good to happen. Now as he walked back into the living room, trying to get a stubborn faint blush to leave his cheeks after having Ash innocently discard clothing in front of him, he realized that this really was going to be complicated. And confessing would be one of the most nerve-wracking and awkward things he's ever done. Expressing emotions was one of the few things he sucked at.

Yes, because that list was short. It's true.

Somewhere, he did admit that this situation was wrapped up in wasn't entirely awkward; despite having to take a very drained and drunk Ash back to his house. At least he knew his feelings from Misty (again, he'd have to remember to thank her properly later for her work), and he was alone with him in this house. Just the two of them. Yeah, just two teenage guys all alone in a large house with nobody to interrupt anything that may or may not be intimate or personal-

Okay, that was enough. Here he was letting his imagination get the better of him. Gary just sighed and tried to ignore these thoughts as he plopped down on the couch and rested his feet on the coffee table. Ash would have to be done changing soon and come looking for him. During this time, he should be coming up with a good and logical strategy for how he should confess his feelings.

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Inside the main bathroom Ash just finished slipping on the clothing that Gary had loaned him for the night, seeing that his others reeked of alcohol and he wouldn't be comfortable in them in the state he was currently in. He was thankful for this, these clothes were just a little bit big in places, since he had such a slim and tight body, but they seemed to be at least be staying on him. He noticed this was he looked into the mirror and randomly made a few weak movements to put that to the test.

The t-shirt was mainly what was kind of big, but not by much. It was a very pale blue color and actually pretty comfortable, it sort of felt like cotton. And the pants were nice and long and went inches past his ankles. They fit pretty good; except for the minor problem of them being pretty old and worn a while, they would somewhat slip a little off his waist. Still, they were comfortable.

Yet he couldn't help but feel a little bit strange wearing these clothes that Gary had actually worn before. But this thought was discarded as soon as possible. The last thing he needed was more intense thoughts on his mind after experiencing the effects of a quick hangover. He remembered that after a sharp pain surged in his forehead like a migraine almost, he held it and cursed under his breath.

At least he was here, somewhere safe. If Gary had left him there at the school drunk, there was no telling what would have happened. And no doubt his mother would have found out and gotten pissed off at him for doing such a thing and not stopping when the punch started tasting way more different than it should have.

Which begs the question...why _did_ Gary help him out? Ash removed his hands from around his aching temples and realized this. If he didn't care about him, he wouldn't have walked him to his house and made sure that he was safe and sound. Plus, he actually did seem like he was worried; even though he tried to disguise his concern regularly.

Mmm, what if Gary actually does feel the same way about him? Wait, this was stupid. A dark red color crept into his cheeks and refused to leave at the brief thought of this. Why would Gary even feel the same way about him? What would he see in him anyway?

Ash gazed into the mirror in front of him for a second or third time. Just studying the reflection with eyes clouded with doubt. As far as his appearance goes...he wasn't really all that attractive, he figured. He wasn't very tall and his frame was slim and not very muscular almost like a girl's. His skin was a little dark and his face would break out much more often than what he wanted it to. His hair has grown out a little and was more flat. And then there was his eyes. His _eyes_, they were just a plain dark brown.

Now what about his personality? What would Gary find appealing about his personality, anyway? Truth be told, Ash was not very bright and oblivious half the time. The other half, he held way too much determination and got competitive. There wasn't anything attractive about that at all, he mused sadly.

Did he even have any chances with Gary? Probably not much at this point. He couldn't even admit to his face that he liked him, and he has had plenty of chances to. Well...okay, okay, maybe not so-called 'plenty'. But he has had enough that would have worked.

"_Oh well._" Ash thought with a long sigh. He turned and started to walk carefully out of the clean bathroom, trying to not fall over from being so drained and tired. After he made it out of the bathroom and down the hall, he actually felt proud of himself. "_Gary's probably waiting for me. Earlier before he made me change in the bathroom, he said that he had to tell me something afterward. Better find him..._"

_._

_._

_._

"_It's not that. I've been thinking..." Ash blinked, not realizing where he was going with this. "Well, I just don't think we should really hang out any more. I feel like we just aren't cut out to be friends. You get what I'm sayin', Ash?"_

"_What?" Yes, it was a lame reply. But Ash was too shocked to really think of anything else to say._

"_Sometimes...people have to go their separate ways. It's no big deal, really." Gary continued, now sounding like this was a normal routine for him and that he was bored. He put his hands in his pockets and brushed past him. "See you around. Glad you followed me here when you did, or else I'd be going crazy over how to tell you without you getting offended."_

"_...Wait, I am kind of offended." Gary, maybe a little bit surprised admittedly, turned around. "But if that's the way you want it to be, then fine."_

_._

_._

_._

"Why am I still thinking about that?" Gary muttered under his breath in dismay. He was all alone in the large living room, and he just suddenly got a flashback of when he had ended his and Ash's friendship a few years ago. Which still got under his skin to this day. "Ugh, that was such a long time ago. I'm sure that Ash probably forgot all about that..." He ran his fingers through his slightly-spiked red bangs and sighed loudly. "It'd be like him, unfortunately."

"What would I forget?"

Not expecting to hear Ash's voice, Gary had become startled by that. He turned quickly to see his rival walk into the living room with a curious look in his eyes. Damn it, he was really endearing when he looked like he truly didn't know what the fuck anybody was talking about.

Desperately, Gary tried to discard this distracting thought. Later he could think about this more farther, but now wasn't the time. He just chose to ignore the question and invited the other boy to come closer and sit with him on the couch.

He could see it in Ash's eyes and body language that he felt drained and exhausted as hell. There was no mistake. And since they didn't have a spare bedroom for any guests, the couch was where he would have to rest anyway for the night. It shouldn't really matter, Gary noted, as the couch was pretty big and comfortable enough as it is.

Now despite being a little uneasy and yet curious about Gary was talking about when he said that he would have forgotten about something, he took advantage nevertheless and walk over and quietly sat down as far away as he could manage on the other side of the couch. They sat in awkward silence for the next several seconds, Gary looking over at Ash with a blank look and Ash looking at nothing in particular whilst absentmindedly fiddling with his fingers.

"You don't have to sit so far away." Gary announced after about another three very long and agonizing minutes of unnecessary silence. Ash turned and they locked eyes for a moment, as if making some kind of communication this way. And accepting the suggestion, the confused teenager shifted just a little bit more closer to Gary's side of the couch.

The more Ash closed the distance, the more he could feel the beat of his heart quickening. He wasn't sure if it was because he just liked being around Gary in general, or because he was nervous about how he would not let his determination falter and just tell him that he liked him.

In some point of view, it would seem like admitting to Gary that he recently realized he wanted to their relationship to extend beyond that of a rivalry or friendship would be simplistic. It was just as easy as saying something completely everyday-ish and nonchalant; like asking someone to pass the salt. Ash wanted to believe this was simple and he shouldn't worry so much and lose his confidence. What was hindering him back from that nagging voice in the back of his head insisting that he should hold himself back.

Damn it, damn it, _damn it_, this was just so complex that he could barely even try and find the right words without getting totally lost! This was such a stressful situation to be in! If he was having such a brutally challenging time trying to just search for good enough words and speak without making himself look like a dumbass, then how would he ever be able to...

"_I have to try and make some kind of conversation with him. It's the only way that this can go somewhere good._" "So, Ash, how are you feeling now?" Gary turned on the couch and came a little closer – much too close for Ash's comfort zone, and he noticed this. That's why he didn't stop until he noticed his face begin to be tinged an obvious shade of bright red. He studying his face carefully and then inched back. "You're back to your senses right? And you don't feel like you're about to puke anymore?"

He was such a tease with leaning forward very close just to say that, wasn't he? Ash swallowed and shook his head slowly, hoping that when he lowered his gaze that his nervous eyes would be hidden by his bangs. "Just drained of energy, I feel like I'm experiencing several migraines at once. But that's about it."

"You're lucky you're not falling out cold or something. You make feel like shit now, but this is nothing compared to what you could've been if I hadn't done something."

Oh yeah, that comment reminded Ash that he hadn't properly expressed his gratitude for his rival actually helping him out back there. He raised his head up, a typical smile that you would see on someone utterly oblivious to anything in the world wear. "I never thought I'd actually say this, but, thanks for helping me out, Gary. God knows what might have happened if you hadn't have noticed that the punch was spiked."

"Don't mention it." Shaking his head, Gary murmured, "Seriously, never speak of it again."

"Why not?" Ash curiously inquired, turning and inching a little closer. He actually thought that maybe this conversation was going to get them somewhere good. Maybe it would help him break the ice. "I guess the night didn't go the way I wanted it to, but maybe that's for the best. I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing right now then being here after all..." The last parts of this was muttered and came out very quietly and quickly so that Gary wouldn't hear it. What Ash did not know, was that Gary heard it and was silently kind of glad that he did.

"'Why not'?" Repeated Gary, sounding astonished by what Ash had just asked. But then again, this is Ash we're talking about, he noted. And it really is like him. When he looked into those curious brown eyes, he went further with information. "Ugh, how can I explain this to you without screwing up? Well, would you really want anyone at school to find out that I actually went to the dance? That you were stupid and got drunk without realizing it? That I, your supposed rival, went through so much trouble to cover for you and give you a place to chill at for the night?"

"Rumors would spread and people would get the wrong idea." Ash said in a state of sudden sadness as he turned back and stared at the television screen, bringing his knees closer to him and resting his head on them. There was more he wanted to add to this reply. Like, about how he wanted to take a risk and reveal his true feelings to him, not giving a damn about what anyone else may think about this. But the words wouldn't pass his lips, he held them back with a struggle.

It was true that rumors would be soaring around the school, Gary silently noted as he lied back against the couch and just tried to relax his muscles against the soft cushions, there were a lot of people who had big mouths and told literally everyone any bits of dirty gossip that they overheard. The guys were just as bad as the girls; if not _worse_.

In the silence, the two rivals sat there on the couch and sneaked fleeting glances at the other as the seconds ticked by so very quickly for a change. Neither had made a movement or said a word. But there were so many things that both wanted to be done and said. Why was it so difficult to accomplish anything? Why did it have to be?

Unfair...the one word that summed up this scenario well. It's just plain unfair for the both of them. Both are worried that they may be rejected, or even if they do get to be in a relationship; they would have to deal with all that prejudice bullshit. Would it be this tense and very agonizing if they were developing feelings for a person of the opposite sex and wanted to confess to them?

There is no true answer for that. But it just didn't seem fair at all for them because nowdays, there wasn't many open and accepted homosexual couples. And this town was small, news spreads fast and everyone is pretty much in the know of everyone and everything. Would their lives be altered if they were to be an open couple and no longer hiding in the closet? Or would this be a refreshing change?

After a little hesitating, Gary broke the silence. "I can't stand it when these kinds of things happen. Once a rumor pops up in this town, it spreads everywhere until the events in it become more dramatic and outlandish. We can't do anything about it though, and that is what pisses me off." He got up from the couch and started pacing slowly back and forth, Ash just watched with the faintest smile on his face. A dreamy one from admiring how oddly graceful the movement was. "When you don't want someone to find out about something you said, something out of character you performed, or..."

"When you don't want someone to find out about the person you're falling head over heels for and just can't get the words out and confess how you feel because you are worried to death about what he/she may say."

Halting the pacing, Gary almost didn't believe that he had heard those words right. He walked over and sat down beside Ash on the couch, his eyes practically shining with curiosity as they were locked on him. "Is there something you're trying to imply, Ash?" His gaze lowered a little, and Ash set up right and lowered his gaze as well. They didn't see their nearby hands brush slowly and intimately against each others, but they knew it had happened. Neither cared about that and liked the touch.

Now that Gary asked this question, this was an opportunity knocking for Ash. He could always be truthful and admit everything right here and now...and just confess his feelings. When he met Gary's gaze and held it for a while, just staring into his eyes, butterflies were beginning to form and he just couldn't search for the words he wanted to say. It wasn't a good situation to be in and he almost hated himself for that.

He just had to relax and calm himself down. This was a delicate situation and would have to be taken one small step at a time if he wanted to make any progress at all. It was time for the truth to come out. It was time for Gary to know the truth and maybe, hopefully say that he returns them. And even if he does not, it makes for one hell of a memory to look back on when he's older and feeling a little nostalgia kicking in.

"Actually, Gary, there is something I want to say." Ash finally said, it came out low and hardly audible at all. But due to being close, Gary was able to make it out clearly. He could feel it now...a surge of determination. Memories of things that had occurred between the two boys in the past and all of the things that happened today flashing through Ash's eyes. He took the chance and met his eyes once again, not at all nervous and panicked like h had been before. "I've wanted to say it all day, and maybe for a longer amount of time than that. It's very important, but you may not be comfortable with it though..."

"Whatever it is, you can say it." Gary assured him, coming a little bit closer now. He didn't know why though, it was like he could not control himself at this point. The moment just felt so good and he was...getting carried away with it.

Ash flushed noticeably at how close they were at this point. Yet he didn't want to get away at all. What was this strange feeling anyway? Why did it seem like he was nearly in a trance and his mind and body were not on the same page hear with the reactions. Which makes sense if you knew it on context. "I...I'm not sure if I should say it or not."

"Hey, I already know from Misty that you realize now you're developing feelings for someone, no need to be so dramatic with it. Just tell me who it is, Ash." Gary prompted, they two were now just sitting there on the couch with their noses and foreheads nearly pressed against the other. It was a huge violation of much-needed personal space, but that didn't seem to matter at the moment.

Of course, Gary already knew who this person was that Ash was developing feelings for. And it was him. But he just wanted to hear his rival admit that himself. It just make his life in general. It would make him for once, feel like he was really and truly on top of the world. If only for a few moments.

They stared into the others' eyes, searching for any hidden emotion behind them. Or at least express their feelings in a way that cannot be interpreted with mere words alone. It wasn't as easy at they had thought, and when they looked into their eyes all they could see was a wave of nostalgia overcoming them like a train wreck. And it wasn't as romantic as they had thought it would be.

Yet, despite that, they both involuntarily smiled a little.

It may have been a delayed answer and reaction, but Ash reached his hands forward and circled them around Gary's neck tightly. "Gary...you're the one I'm falling for. I don't know how it happened or when it did, but I've been letting this get to me all day long since realizing it. Now looking back in hindsight, that seems like it was so damn stupid." There. He said it. And Ash could feel his cheeks begin to burn out of control and his heart taking off at about eighty miles an hour now. But it wasn't quite as awkward as he had envisioned it. In fact, he felt like a great weight was lifted off his shoulders and all the butterflies in his stomach were now soaring more than ever.

But he had admitted it. And that was all that mattered now. Nothing else in this life was of importance, they were the only ones who were there. And this feeling felt so damn good.

Even though he was already aware of Ash's strong feelings, hearing him admit it was extremely uplifting and he could feel all the tension and anxiety he had before all melt away. A weight was lifted off his shoulders and he hadn't ever felt like he had genuinely smiled this long or have his heart racing off and ringing in his eardrums. He wasn't about to let this moment go to waste. He had been waiting very long years for this to happen after all. So much wasted time...so much...but it was very much worth it in the end. This moment was what he had been waiting for and he would take the advantage of it and do something that he had always secretly considered and often dreamed about doing. He encircled his arms around Ash's waist tightly and lied him down onto the couch, their holds never breaking.

Ash was a little confused by this, he was wondering why Gary wasn't giving him an answer to this confession. But then his brain started working again and he remembered that his rival was known for giving actions in replies rather than simple words. For some quirky reason that he just didn't get the concept of. He couldn't help but be surprised at first by how close their bodies were against the others as he lied underneath him and was staring up at his face. But he...he liked where it was going. He had the feeling it would do somewhere good.

And this feeling happened to be accurate; very accurate, in fact. Because Gary just rushed forward and his lips crashed onto Ash's instantly, a simple-yet-strong kiss resulting. Ash, staring with widening eyes, was just far too stunned to be able to react and return the gesture even though he was dying to. He didn't really have much experience with this kind of thing, so maybe it was a good thing that Gary was being the dominating one here. If you catch my drift.

Just a simple kiss wasn't quite satisfying for Gary. He took things to the next step here, just to hopefully get more of a reaction from him. Because he sure as hell didn't feel as much spark as he had been wanting from the beginning. So what did he do? The obvious thing; during the kiss he had softly bit at his lips. Hinting that he wanted more.

Fingers dug into the back of Gary's neck and he received a low moan of pleasure from this. Which, naturally, he was enjoying very much. And that is one of the biggest understatements that you will ever see in this lifetime. Ash finally just lost himself into the moment and his eyes were quick to flutter closed in this state of pleasure. He barely even knew what the hell was going on at the moment, it was just as if his body had reacted of it's own accord without his mind having any part in it. Naturally he wasn't very experienced with kissing, Gary obviously expected this and had led him along rather well whilst dominating.

It was like a dream. Sort of like a wet dream that was slowly beginning to get into some sexual themes. Ash didn't know if this was real or just a scene playing out in the depths of his head like a movie, but he knew that his massive headache and worry; they were forgotten and pummeled instantly. Now he was feeling like the the planet just stopped rotating right then and there and they had all the time to kiss. If this really is a dream...then Ash sure as hell didn't want it to end so soon...

_._

_._

_._

"_Ow..." Ash closed his eyes in pain and then glanced down at his left knee; it was scraped from where he had landed against a concrete block, but the skin wasn't broken thankfully. "That's not good..."_

"_No, no it's not." A voice replied knowingly._

_Ash, alarmed by that voice, quickly looked up to see another pair of eyes looking at him in confusion. He realized that there was another boy, his age, crouching to the ground and glancing at the scrape. He had dark red, slightly spiked hair and was wearing a purple t-shirt from what he could see. Ash's mind clicked, and he realized that this must be the neighbor's son his mom was telling him about earlier._

"_Are you okay?" The boy extended a hand, like he was about to touch the wound. But he shook his head and quickly brought it back to his side awkwardly._

"_I...I think so." Ash jumped up to his feet, and the other boy followed suit a little bit unconvinced. "Anyway, I live next door. My mom told me that there was a family moving in next door, and we came to introduce ourselves. I'm Ash, by the way!"_

_The other boy blinked. "Oh...okay? I didn't think there were many other kids around here. Well," He seemed more relaxed now and nodded, before smirking. "My name's Gary."_

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_._

_Now they rounded a corner of the street, and Gary sighed in irritation. "You know, there's nothing wrong with making those. I have to make them all the time because I'm always doing stuff. You're pretty lucky you got all this time. And, changing the subject," his lips were fighting to curve into a little smile, but Gary didn't allow that to happen. At least, he couldn't around Ash. Though maybe he wanted to. "Not sure if you realize it yet, but you're actually a little bit better than I am at something."_

_Those words left Ash speechless. The two kind of froze where they were walking along the sidewalk, and Gary almost thought that he might have broken his rival by saying that. Dammit, he should've known not to say that stuff._

_._

_._

_._

"_I was stupid for even letting myself get carried and believe you'd maybe say you've actually noticed me and secretly held feelings for me then." The blond girl looked crestfallen, Ash would have usually felt pity for her at a time like this. But shockingly, he felt relieved and wanted her to just take her drama elsewhere. He was disgusted with himself, but it was the truth. "I-I guess my older sister was right after all; young love isn't true. Or something...along those lines, I suppose. But I can see it in your eyes that you're thinking about s-someone ELSE..."_

_Blood rushed to Gary's cheeks and for once, he seemed shocked. Ash was forced to bite his tongue to hold in some amused snickering. "W-what gives you that idea?" He composed himself after a few seconds and played it off with a forced brief dry laugh. Though the redness in his face was not fading at all._

_._

_._

_._

"_Maybe I'm just coming down with something." Ash murmured under his breath as he rested his chin on his palm once again. His eyes traveled up to the board and her tried to keep them locked there. But his mind was everywhere but the history lesson._

_Meanwhile, Gary glanced at Ash and rose a brow. He was acting a little odd, he seemed flustered after he had smirked at him. Why the hell would he be flustered of all things? Or was he just jumping to conclusions?_

_Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. Of course, that was it. Gary shook his head and looked back at the board, but he could feel his cheeks begin to warm very rapidly, as he realized all of a sudden how cute Ash had looked for a change._

_._

_._

_._

W_ell, that didn't make Gary feel any worse than he did now. He looked over at Misty in brief surprise, but he contained himself and lowered his gaze to his feet. Reality hitting him like a train wreck. "There's no reason for him to be miserable. He isn't the one that _knew_ he had feelings for his rival, but kept being such a damn coward and stayed quiet about it all this time."_

_That was it. Misty wanted to just scream her lungs out. But she resisted that want, yet her whole body twitched as she came closer to Gary and grabbed his shoulders. "Listen!" Shouted Misty, no longer holding back her soaring frustration at his attitude. "I didn't want to let this out so soon, I wanted it to be a pleasant surprise for you, but I can't take dealing with this anymore! Gary. Ash realized this morning that he likes you, dammit! He probably has all this time but just didn't realize until now when the feelings developed more and more and blossomed into love practically! He hasn't told you, and this is my theory of why that is, because he's paranoid about what other people will think about him being gay! He just doesn't want everyone to see him as a different creature just because of his sexuality!"_

_._

_._

_._

Ash's eyes slowly started to crack open and all he could see was darkness at first. Everything was somewhat blurry, and he yawned loudly and pushed himself up with his limp arms.

There was something not right here. First of all: the room he was in wasn't very familiar to him at all. It was dark and he was lying in a bed entangled in the covers. His head was hurting like hell and a trail of drool was dripping onto the fluffy pillow that he had previously had his face buried into. But don't get any perverted ideas; he was still wearing those clothes that Gary had given him and was all alone in the bed.

First clear thought that came to mind was: "_When did I crawl into this bed? And where the hell am I?_" But when he tried to think back to the previous events that might have led up to this, it only put a strain on him and he cursed in agony before reaching for the pillow and clawing into it. It had taken him all the strength he has to not attempt suicide and jump right out the window from it.

Blinking many times over, vision was beginning to become less fuzzy and Ash could make out the full appearance of the room when he rolled over onto his side and inspected his surroundings. This room might be somebody's bedroom, he noted. There were some posters on the walls, typical furniture, a fair-sized closet, and the window curtains were pulled back which revealed faint light trying to peak into the sky. It must have been around five or six in the morning, he assumed.

Now there was no time to have a panic attack. There must be a logical reason why he was currently lying in some other person's bed, entangled within the covers and sheets, and with a goddamn annoying headache. He just had to lie there and make an attempt at going back and remembering what had happened tonight...or yesterday, technically that is.

He reflected back to this morning in history class when Gary had passed him a note. And then, the minute he had looked back at him for some kind of answers as to why he did so, that's what began the drama with a bang. Just as soon as he had received the meaningless little note, he had realized like a train wreck that he didn't hate his rival as much as he tried to force himself to believe. And he had been struggling with this realization all day, several memories of past events hitting him from time to time and making him figure things out. That maybe he always had something of a crush that just, like his best girl friend had said herself, developed over time to the point of becoming too big and noticeable to deny or hide.

It wasn't until Misty had called him up and talked him into going to the dance that he had forgotten about, that things got interesting. He surely didn't expect it to happen, but his so-called rival was actually there at the scene. And they managed to make an encounter. Ash had just frozen up in his nervous-ness and Gary seemed to be the same way. And in order to get his mind off of things, Ash innocently went to the large bowl of punch and got a cup – which led to at least seventeen cups at the most that were chugged down – and gotten drunk due to it being spiked. He didn't even detect any alcohol smell or taste at all. And it was a miracle that Gary had been there to come to the rescue. If he hadn't Ash didn't want to dare think about what could have happened to him.

Then Gary had brought him to his place and covered him with a little lie for his mother. Once he had come back to his senses and had puked his guts out, his rival had even given him a change of clothes and allowed him to stay over for the night. Somehow, they started talking. Talking led to the two of them getting closer and closer. Closing the dreaded distance between them caused Ash to become lost in the moment and confess how he felt...

Whoa, whoa, whoa, _wait_. Ash's eyes snapped open in a wave of realization. He had actually allowed himself to fall into the moment and confess his feelings? What were his exact words? And then, afterward, how did Gary react to this?

Now it was all returning, either for the better or worse. Ash could vaguely recall that Gary did not ever say anything, he didn't return the confess or reject it carelessly like he had done in the past, but he gave his response through actions alone; which was pinning him down to the couch and turning a simple kiss into a make-out session in roughly one minute! Oh Jesus Christ, this was awkward! This was bad...no...it was _mortifying_! But strangely, Ash could remember that it was one of the most exciting moments of his life. Even more so since Gary seemed to be really lost within the moment himself, ah, maybe he was trying to imply something through this. Could he have been trying to get the message through his thick skull with dominating him in a kiss?

Well in any event, Ash ignored the heat in his cheeks and the spontaneous tingling sensation in his lips long enough to roll onto his back and stare up at the dark ceiling, trying to get rid of this memory block he had and try and piece together how he ended up all alone in a bed that was not his.

Of course, nothing sexual could have gone on between them, right? If something like that had happened, he probably would have woken up with Gary, and certain parts of his body would be sore as hell from the action. It was like, everything just went blank after he recalled the two of them making out. If they had taken this to the bedroom, he would be one of those kind of people to remember losing their virginity. It would suck to not remember, truth be told.

Before his mind could elaborate farther, the door to the bedroom opened up and light flooded in. Ash cursed and shielded his eyes from it, his vision becoming a little weak for a short amount of time.

"Ash, you awake?" That voice...Ash removed his hands from his eyes and he peeked up from the covers to see Gary leaning in the doorway, he practically looked the same as he had earlier but his clothes were wrinkled a little bit and his hair was tousled. A light blush rose into Ash's cheeks as he sat up and avoided his gaze. "Oh good, you've been sleeping for a while now. After I brought you here, I fell asleep on the couch myself. It must have been because of all the chaos that happened last night."

"Where am I?"

"My room. I brought you here after..." Gary caught himself, and while kicked the door closed, he added, "After you crashed from being so drained."

He could sense that there was something Gary didn't want to tell him. Ash pushed back the covers and scooted closer to the edge of the bed, a fake curious look flashing across his face. "Nothing else happened before I crashed?"

Well, Ash obviously knew that something had happened before that. But did he know that he had confessed to his face that he had romantic feelings for him, and that he had responded to this by kissing him all-out right on the lips? Gary wasn't sure if he knew all the details, and this memory of what had happened almost made him feel strange. When he walked over and looked into the other boy's big brown eyes that were searching for answers into his own, he told himself that now was the time to tell him everything.

_Everything_.

This shouldn't be too difficult, right? He already knew how Ash felt and there was no way that he would get rejected. But it still felt really nerve-wracking here, wondering how he could put it into words. Usually he could do nearly everything with soaring confidence, but not this time.

This was one of the toughest things that he had ever tried to do. Confessing to his once-friend and now rival that he has liked him – maybe even loved him – all this time. And then express it in a way that was simple, straight to the point, and really convincing. 'Cause he knew how clueless and slow Ash could be at times.

He sat down beside Ash and released a long sigh, it wasn't one out of dismay or irritation. Or anything else. It was one out of nervousness, but Ash didn't notice at all. It just caught him off guard. "Actually, we were talking and then...I don't know, I guess we got carried away in the moment. But you admitted that you recently realized you're falling for me." Ash could only fumble with his fingers frantically now, feeling his cheeks warm intensely once again. Gary seemed to be a little nervous as well, trying to avoid any kind of eye contact that was trying to meet. "Then we got really lost and were nearly making out with each other. A little bit later, once separating, you fell asleep right then and there. To be honest, I couldn't stand to see you sleep on the couch in this state and I carried you up here."

"I can't believe I let myself get carried away! It just...it just felt all perfect, and I..." Ash's words sounded pretty much like gibberish as he went on and on. Gary was becoming annoyed by this, so he finally just paused him by reaching over and putting a hand to his mouth.

"Stop freaking out. There's no need to at all...because I got lost in the moment myself. But I don't regret it at all." The two were now locking eyes with the other now, and somehow, Gary managed a usual smirk. One of those smirks that Ash both got irritated and week-kneed at. "Since we're opening up here, I may as well just admit this now. I've been trying to bring myself to say it for a long time now..."

As if in a trance, blinded by the rush of the moment, Ash inched a little closer until it he was majorly violating his personal space; their faces hardly apart at all and their foreheads touching. "Then say it, Gary."

"The truth is...I've always felt something for you." Ash's warm breath against his skin felt so nice, Gary mused randomly as he paused and raised a hand to softly stroke his cheek. "And, honestly, the only reason I went to this dance tonight was so that I could tell you. I never imagined that things would get this screwed up though."

Astonished, Ash kind of froze up for a minute there. He could. Not. Believe. What he had just said. And a comfortable silence filled the room afterward. During this period of silence, Ash managed to calm his rapidly pumping heart and ignore the crimson color in his cheeks, but he couldn't control himself from beaming at hearing the words that he never once thought he'd ever get to.

What relieved him the most was that Gary seemed to mean these words. His expression was serious and his tone soft and convincing. It was not this alone though, it was also the fact that he didn't seem bothered by the fact they were both guys. Like he didn't care about that at all and it didn't matter in reality. Which begs the question...has never cared about what might happen if rumors spread about him having romantic feelings for someone of the same sex?

Seeing as though Gary seemed serious and meant what he was saying, Ash chose to believe it to be true. Inwardly, he was thanking Misty with much glee for what she had done. If she hadn't convinced him to go to the dance, then he would have never encountered Gary – whom was already looking for him – and they probably would have never admitted how they truly felt.

Right now, a huge weight was lifted off of Ash's shoulders and he felt majorly different, he actually felt like himself once again. His exhaustion and the horrible throbbing pain in his head was forgotten. He closed his eyes contently as Gary's cold fingers slowly brushed across his skin, and then his arms moving down to his waist and pulling him closer. He was known to be pretty forward, Ash really didn't mind that at all. Since he never wanted this moment to come to a conclusion, pressing their luck was a tempting thought.

"How long have you felt this way?" Ash asked suddenly, before he shifted around until he was now sitting on his lap, before Gary could answer, he had leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips, which gave him a little bit more of a jolt than what he had expected it to. His owns lips were practically tingling afterward, but he knew he liked this sensation a lot.

"Even when we were kids, I think I may have had a crush on you then." Gary pulled them both down onto the bed, but decided that he wanted to be dominating (knowing that Ash was just so inexperienced, mind you) and pinned him down, much to Ash's surprise. "All this time I've been harboring it because I...I just wasn't sure what to do. And no matter how hard I've tried to deny it, no matter how hard I tried to forget it, no matter how hard I tried to bury it deep down, it was impossible to do. I don't think of you as a rival, Ash. I don't think of you as just a friend. But..." He sighed. "Because that simple crush has developed into _love_ after all this time. Don't look so surprised, I know that you feel the same way now."

Of course, the only problem was that Ash was beyond surprised that someone like him could actually fall in love with him after all this time. It was unlikely, wasn't it? Ash wasn't really a perfect person and he could be way too bold and drastic, he tended to be a little slow, and he certainly didn't look all that attractive; did he? Was Gary even sure that he felt this strongly? Or was this all just being said in the rush of the moment?

He knew from experience that anything could go down in the middle of a moment like this. When you get a thrill and various emotions start raging. Words and actions happen and usually, they are meaningless and hollow. Now Ash was once again stricken with confusion, he could feel his head spinning and he a little tad of sick feeling as he considered whether this confession was genuine or not.

Asking Gary if he was serious or not wouldn't be the ideal decision here, it may anger him and give him the impression that he doesn't put ant trust in him. Which is the complete opposite, he always has trusted him even though he acted like he didn't when out in public. So he decided to avoid this discreetly by looking into his eyes.

Eyes were always a giveaway, he concluded after proving it several times when his friends would come to him to vent about their problems. And when he looked into Gary's eyes...he could just tell that he was serious about this and there wasn't any trace of lying in the words he had said.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Suggested Gary, noticing how silent Ash had become. He averted his eyes, now feeling a little down.

Ash's eyes widened and he tensed up. "No-no! Gary, it's not like that at all! It's just that I...I..." He couldn't gather the correct words in his head and he didn't want to screw up right now. Not when he was lying here pinned down rather suggestively by his ex-friend/rival/crush. He swallowed and rambling on, "I mean, I think I may have felt the same way all this time but just didn't want to except it. And honestly, I can't stop myself from wondering what it would be like if we could openly be together..."

"What it would be like if we _could_? What are you implying?" Gary suspiciously asked him, Ash felt like he was underneath a spotlight at this point. Why was it that all the people close to him have to possess the ability to have such intimidating looks when the situation calls or it?

"We couldn't openly be a couple. Not without everyone thinking it's strange or sick, you know that not many people in this town accept homosexuals. Why do you think I've been struggling to keep me liking this 'certain someone' a close secret?" Ash mentioned, his tone becoming lower and lower as he went on. And by the time he was finished, he was speaking in a whisper.

It was just like Misty had said. That was why Ash had been acting so strangely today when around him, because he didn't want anyone to find out that he was gay. Fearing that he would abuse – both physical and mental – from his peers. Gary wanted to reassure him, he wanted him to stop thinking like that. To just stop thinking about what other people think. For most of his life, Gary hadn't cared about what people thought about things like that, and only pretended like did once he was out so that he could have a good reputation.

He reached for Ash's cheek and caressed it softly for a moment, saying, "You need to stop worrying about what others may think. Love is love, and it look, it doesn't matter if it's between a guy and a girl, two guys, or two girls. If that's what you were panicked about all this time, then that was just all for nothing. Just unnecessary stress put on your body and mind." There was a small silence afterward, neither awkward or tense, it was just right. Gary's cheeks flushed lightly and pulled himself up, he sat there on the edge and coughed a little. "Hmm, I didn't mean for it to come out that way."

"No, you're right!" Ash reassured him, quickly getting up and shifting up to him from behind and resting his head on his shoulder, just inhaling his scent and enjoying the proximity they had. "I should have realized that all this time."

"So, do you still want to be together?"

A smile once again sneaked up on Ash's lips as he heard that question. Now the world once again felt like it was in balance after all of this chaos that had happened the day before. "Ye-" Before he could finish his answer, Gary suddenly turned around and he found himself once again pinned down to the bed suggestively and another pair of lips had crashed onto his own.

It didn't take long for the two to once again lose immerse themselves in the moment. Everything just felt right and once again in harmony like it should be. After a while, natural sunlight streamed into the room and into Ash's face and he groaned a little under his breath from it and lifted his head somewhat.

The first thing he noticed was that he was still in Gary's room and was lying against his chest on the bed, and the other boy was entangled in the sheets and lying on his side.

And he smiled. The fact that it was probably late in the morning by now and that his mother was probably getting instinctively worried was temporarily forgotten.

_._

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"Ugh, I hate Mondays..." Ash moaned as he pretty much stumbled through the hallways of the school with Gary at his side just shaking his head in kind of a 'tsk tsk, I saw this coming' manner. He was always like this on Mondays and it was way too predictable. And their weekend was pretty good, considering the fact that they had been together almost constantly over those two days.

"Just hang in here." Gary smirked and gave him a pat on his shoulder. "The day will fly right by, and then we'll be out tonight at the movies and then maybe we'll go back to my place."

"YOUR PLACE?"

"Heh, calm down. I was just teasing." Gary glanced around randomly at the passing students that didn't seem to care that him and Ash were actually having a friendly conversation. He was glad, because now that they're dating, he didn't want them to be known as rivals any more. And they came to the agreement to gradually let them all know that they were romantically interested in each other. "Actually, I was thinking that maybe we could go to that old spot we used to hang out at when we were kids. You remember it?"

Of course Ash remembered that spot. And how could he possibly forget? That spot was important to him and special because of all the times that him and Gary would go over there alone and hang out or chat when they were much younger. It's been years since he had been there. The best part was that it still wasn't developed in that area, it would probably still look about the same in appearance, only the plants and grass more taller.

Since the topic of their friendship had rose, the two walked over to the long staircase that led to the second floor of the building and just sat there together, talking. There was time before the next class anyway, may as well kill it.

They talked about what their friendship had been like when they were kids. How they both seemed to really trust each other and liked being in each others' presence. But then, suddenly, Gary just ended it one day and it was the exact same one in which they started getting competitive with each other and decided that they would be rivals.

"Why did you end our friendship anyway?" Ash had pressed him curiously, looking at him with those big and dark brown sparkling eyes. The question came off as unexpected for his boyfriend, but Gary still thought it over for a little bit of time to put it all into words.

And finally, Gary had replied after meeting his gaze and brushing his hand over his own slowly and almost suggestively, "It's a little hard to explain...but, I ended our friendship because that was around the time when I started realizing that I felt _something_ for you. Being young, I didn't understand it at all. In my mind; I decided that ending it would solve my problem because I would no longer be around you a lot." He almost laughed a tad under his breath at that memory. It was just so damn laughable that he had assumed his problems would be solved if he ended their friendship. "Maybe I acted like I didn't care, but I actually was very doubtful I made the right decision when I had returned back to my place after that happened."

"I think I understand it a little bit more now." Ash commented with a nod. And boy was he relieved, because all this time, he had been given the impression that Gary had no good reason for ending their friendship so abruptly and then declaring them rivals.

It made a little bit of sense, in a way. Even though they were not on friendly terms, they still could be in each others' presence and exchange words. And later on, the more they realized that they were developing certain feelings for the other person, they tried to force themselves to believe that they couldn't stand the other just for the sake of the rivalry. But now, they couldn't help but look back and think that was a little unnecessary. Now in the present time they were sitting here on the steps talking and making occasional intimate gestures like held gazes and holding hands, soon they would be bold enough to actually kiss, they figured. And no one seemed to care or laugh or gag at it. Not even Gary's hoards of annoying and forward fangirls were running over and making any kind of a scene, which was a miracle Ash had assumed.

"Ash! Gary!" An extremely familiar girl's voice called out. And right away, the two guys being addressed recognized it immediately. An orange-haired girl quickly walked up them, clutching her books against her chest so she wouldn't drop them in her masked soaring joy that she has succeeded in getting them together apparently.

"Hi, Misty." Ash greeted her back He then laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about not keeping in touch with you over the weekend; I've been kind of busy..."

Misty couldn't old back her amused smirk as she shook her head. She hoped that she didn't look too obvious...well, Ash didn't notice how obvious she looked because was just that clueless as usual. Gary, on the other hand, had called her over the weekend and had revealed to her what had happened Friday, about how they had confessed everything, and that they decided to end their rivalry and go out together. "Oh, that's okay!" Misty assured him. "Actually, I've been busy over the weekend as well, trying to get Brock and Lucy back together. And do you know what? No one still has any idea who had spiked the punch at the dance!"

"Well, that doesn't matter anymore." Gary pointed out, waving a dismissive hand. "Everything is once again as it should be, so we really shouldn't dwell in the past."

"I suppose you're right." Misty and Ash both mumbled together in unison, their expressions becoming exaggeratedly saddened. Because, honestly, neither knew how to put the past behind them. Which should be really obvious by now. And Gary was about to comment on this, unfortunately, the bell rung just before he could.

"Damn, I guess it's time to get to class." Ash muttered tiredly, rising up from the steps. Gary followed suit and pat his shoulder mock-affectionately, telling him with a surprisingly straight face that he would survive...maybe.

Misty rolled her eyes and turned to leave. As she started walking away, she said, "See you both in history class."

Once she was out of their sight, Gary smirked and reached for Ash's hand, leading him along to the classroom. History wasn't a subject that Ash particularly liked, as he found it really boring to learn about _past_ events that already happened and should be forgotten about. Yet, he groaned and allowed himself to be dragged away to the class. The same class in which he had first realized that he had feelings for his ex-rival in the first place. When all this shit had go down.

And sneaking a final glance at Gary, Ash had to hold back an amused smile as he just spontaneously realized that maybe history class wouldn't be all that bad after all. Neither would the rest of the school year at this rate:if they survived the five steps that it took to fall in love, nothing else would be impossible.

_**~ The End ~**_

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So, there's the end of the story. And sappy ending is sappy. :| Raise your hand if you thought this was going to turn into at least a lime. *I hesitate for a moment before raising my own hand*

But, ah well, at least I kept my promise to actually finish this story. I end up having to discontinue too many of them once they get started good, it's sad. So getting to actually finish this one feels good for me. I think I might actually be proud of myself for **once** in my life. Which is a huge step in the right direction.

I really enjoyed writing this story, as my favorite Pokemon shipping is Palletshipping. But my only regret is the horrid ending, if there's anything I need to work on when it comes to writing, it's coming up with **good endings**! It's back to the training for me, I suppose...*Drags out some paper and pencils and cracks my knuckles in preparation*

Thank you, everyone, for the encouraging reviews, faves, and alerts! They really motivated me to continue when I was feeling like putting it off to lie around and relax during my very limited time to myself! Maybe, maybe sometime in the future, I can write another Palletshipping fic? I'm envisioning a songfic as we speak. *Nudge nudge wink wink*

Read and review!


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